As if there hasn't been enough talk about Michael Jackson, I want to add my take on the King of Pop.

I'll be brief.

• He was the biggest entertainer in the world. He was loved by people all over the world. Even in places Elvis didn't penetrate.
• I liked his music but I never bought any of his albums or CDs.
• He revolutionized the art of videos. Thriller changed the music video world. I loved watching that video as a kid and thought the woman who played his girlfriend in the video was gorgeous.
• He was strange but no one lived his life and felt the pressure he felt. Even at the age of 5, he was dealing with adult-like pressures. That and fame can crack anybody.
• I am not sure he molested any children. True, he paid some people off in connection with those allegations but I think it was just to get the whole ordeal over with. I think Michael Jackson loved children very much and couldn't stand having people think he was capable of hurting one. Although, sleeping in the same bed with a child that is not your own, is a sign of trouble.
• I am not sure what to make of his plastic surgeries.
• Michael Jackson was a true musical/cultural icon. His music crossed racial lines like no other musician - EVER. Not only did black and white people love MJ, Asians and Hispanics bought millions of his albums.
• He has been painted as some sort of musical Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. That's a stretch but comparing him to Jackie Robinson is not. Michael Jackson opened many doors for African Americans like Robinson did when he broke the color barrier in baseball.
• I wish he could have continued making great music the past ten years before his death.
• Despite what people think of MJ, the passing of someone who contributed so much to music is a sad thing.
• I think it's wrong to label anyone who criticizes Michael Jackson as a racist. Some people have been turned off by MJ's behavior toward children. That is not a black/white thing.
• I like many of his songs. I like Beat It and like that Eddie Van Halen played guitar on the song. My "guilty pleasure" Michael Jackson song is Billie Jean.
• The video for Smooth Criminal is as good as Thriller.
• His death deserves a great amount of media coverage and a grand funeral, but I think things have been getting our of hand.

Michael Jackson's death has re-ignited interest in a music legend. That's ok. He's earned it.

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