5 Reasons Michael Jackson is Going to Live Forever

Subject: 5 Reasons Michael Jackson is Going to Live Forever

http://www.boycewatkins.com/

Dr Boyce: 5 Reasons Michael Jackson is Going to Live Forever

I was the guest host of a radio show yesterday. The show started at 3 pm (back when we all thought Michael Jackson would be going back on tour soon), and the producer asked me what kind of music I wanted to use for my intros and outtros. I said "Throw on some old Michael Jackson. The pre-nose job Michael Jackson." He did.
I then spent the next 2 hours reflecting on the air about Michael Jackson's talent, as well as his peculiar personality. That's when I got "the news."

While I was certainly shocked at the irony of a man dying right after I'd spent 2 hours talking about him on the radio, I wasn't surprised. Michael Jackson had that kind of effect on music and our world. In spite of the fact that he'd tur ned into something we couldn't quite understand, we always loved him.

Michael is going to live forever. The life and existence of such an impactful human being can't be captured in his physical manifestation. Most of us never knew Mike the man, but he was always present in our lives. He was nothing like Elvis, he was not the Beatles. He was too interesting for that. He is one of a kind, even beyond the fact that he sold 750 million records.

Here are 5 reasons Michael Jackson is going to live forever:

1) His talent: Michael's music was magical. He was more than just a performer: he was the Pope of Pop. He could go 10 years without releasing a single hit record and still get more fan reaction than the hottest entertainers in the world. No performer on Earth can command the respect that Michael Jackson had at his absolute weakest. He was an industry in himself and the reason that MTV is what it is today – his name alone will generate enough revenue over the next 70 years to support his grand children's grand children.

2) We grew up with him: Few performers are in the limelight from the age of 5 until their death. Michael was a black version of the film, "The Truman Show", where we literally had the chance to watch him grow from a little boy into a full grown man. There is probably no point in your life that you can remember when Michael Jackson wasn't incredibly famous. The world was truly his stage.

3) He was (to be honest) very....uhhhh....interesting: I am not here to disgrace the dead. But let's be real, if we were to talk about Michael Jackson just a few days ago, his talent might not have been the first thing to come to mind. He was a man who told his children to wear head masks for the first several years of their lives. He had an amusement park in his back yard and climbed trees with 10 year old kids. He seemed to have a nose job every week and literally changed his skin color (What the &*^%?). Michael was an odd dude, which will only serve to make films about his life far more interesting than El vis Presley or anyone else.

4) His story was intriguing: The tales of Joe Jackson violently forcing the kids to practice are common knowledge. We felt bad for the child trapped in a grown man's body, and there was something that made us almost feel that Michael had been born on the wrong planet. Not only was he forced to live under the pressure of the limelight, he was not exactly raised in the healthiest of social environments. This only served to exacerbate his extreme reactions to the pressure of being in the public eye. There is nothing sadder than watching someone cope with a damaged childhood right in front of the world.

5) He was our hero: Growing up, we had two copies of the album "Thriller" in our household. We all remember Michael's amazing performance during the "Motown 25" Celebration. Many of us saw the 1984 Grammys, where women were screaming at the possibility that Michael would take off his sunglasses (after he won a record-setting 8 awards). We all remember waiting anxiously at prime time to watch the 15 minute "Thriller" video when it was released in 1983. Who gets to make a 15 minute video for MTV? Even Beyonce couldn't pull that one off. Then, there's the one white glove on his right ha nd, the glowing and flowing Jheri curl, the Moon walk, the Penny loafers, and that crazy red jacket everyone wanted to buy. In case you're wondering, yes, I do have one – I'll be wearing it to work tomorrow.....just kidding; well, maybe not.

Michael Jackson's presence was too great and too strong for his life to end in any finite number of years. The best song to reflect the life and death of Michael Jackson is, "I'll be there." He'll be with us forever, for Michael Jackson will always be the King of Pop.

Dr Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and author of the forthcoming book, "Black American Money." He also does regular appearances in national media. For more information, please visit http://www.boycewatkins.com/. To have Dr Boyce commentary delivered directly to your email box, please click here.

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Let's Go Nats!!!

I love baseball. What a great time for the city of Washington. The
ballpark is incredible. I used to believe PNC was the best ball park
in America, but now that crown goes to the crown jewel in the Diamond
City.

Our Nations Capital deserves this, and we deserve a franchise that has
a commitment to winning. I believe we are headed in the right
direction. Let's GO!!!

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Beard or No Beard, that is truly the?

I love these sports photos. One is me and the Mrs at the Yankees vs Pirates game and the other is me chillaxin' watching Kobe and the Lakers beat Lebron and the Cavs in Cleveland. More importantly though, the question is to beard or not?

Sent from my iPhone

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The next iPhone. Available Friday.

Shop Online Find a Store Find a store Introducing the iPhone that lets you do more than ever. And do it faster. Launch and switch between applications quickly. Render web pages in a fraction of the time. Shoot, edit, and share video right on your phone. Make a call or play a song using just your voice. And discover many more features that make iPhone 3G S the best iPhone yet. Learn more Watch the Guided Tour More new features Landscape Keyboard Rotate iPhone to use a larger keyboard in Mail, Messages, Notes, and Safari. Cut, Copy & Paste Cut, copy, and paste words and photos, even between applications. Spotlight Search Find what you're looking for across your iPhone, all from one place. Compass Find out what direction you're facing with a new digital compass. Save time getting an iPhone 3G S by starting online. First, review your eligibility, check out pricing, and select an AT&T rate plan. Then choose how you'd like to receive your iPhone: Have it shipped for free. Complete your purchase online, and we'll have your iPhone 3G S delivered free right to your door. Get started Pick it up at the store and have it activated and set up. Start pre-authorization now Or just drop by your favorite Apple Retail Store, where we'll be happy to help. Stores open at 7:00 a.m. on June 19. Pre-authorization does not guarantee iPhone availability at an Apple Retail Store. iPhone is sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Compass reliability may be affected by usage conditions, such as nearby magnetic fields. MMS support from AT&T coming in late summer. Some features, applications, and services are not available in all areas. See your carrier for details. Google, the Google logo, and Google Maps are trademarks of Google Inc. Tele Atlas® Map data © 2009. All rights reserved. TM and copyright © 2009 Apple Inc. 1 Infinite Loop, MS 303-3DM, Cupertino, CA 95014. All Rights Reserved / Keep Informed / Privacy Policy / My Info If you prefer not to receive commercial email from Apple, or if you've changed your email address, please click here.

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Let's Go PENS!

We are euphoric that our beloved Penguins shocked the world and got it done on the road. What a surprising Game 7 victory in Detroit against the hated Red Wings! This Gatorade clip is perfect and shows the pride of the Steel City Hockey club.

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Spoof Rap on DMV and Arlington, VA

This is jive funny. I work in Alexandria which is off the yellow line in VA. Arlington borders it.

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SE Beverly Hills is a hidden gem in DC

Southeast DC has been misrepresented and characterized for years. While it is true that Wards, 6, 7, and 8 have historically higher crime rates, it is also true that these areas are diamonds in the rough with some of the best housing stock inside the Nation's Capital.

I grew up in Ward 7, in a neighborhood near Ft. Dupont Park. For years I had to endure wrong assumptions, fear, and ignorance from people not familiar with the area. We were so agitated by the gross misrepresentation, that years ago we started to call our enclave East of the Anacostia River in DC, "SE Beverly Hills".

Great article below that discusses emerging trends and hip swagger that are taking the area by storm. Hopefully too many heads don't catch on and start to populate our hidden secret in Southeast DC.

River East: An area on the rise
By: Dean Bartoli Smith
Special to The Examiner
05/20/09 10:05 PM EDT The neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River — Congress Heights, Hillcrest and Anacostia, to name a few — are beginning to provide affordable and accessible housing options only minutes from downtown. Historic row homes, condominiums and town houses set on the rolling hills and bluffs of Southeast feature incredible views of the city, access to Metro and major roadways, and competitive pricing levels.

Homesteaders who have settled into these neighborhoods resent being broadly labeled as in “Anacostia” when things go wrong, and feel slighted by the tag “east of the River,” which sounds to them like “the other side of the tracks.” They refer to the area as “River East,” and the name change has become a rallying cry in their efforts to transform long-held perceptions.

“It’s a secret area,” said Re/Max agent Joel Martin. “There are lovely neighborhoods. Hillcrest looks exactly like Bethesda.” After decades of failed or delayed initiatives, the city’s track record for delivering on its promises has been less than stellar. “It’s been underrated and underserved for years,” said Martin. “After 25 years, where is the development?”

The movement to revitalize River East is being driven by a spirited group of young professionals — many of whom author blogs — who will stop at nothing to get the abandoned buildings torn down, the street corner memorials decorated with liquor bottles removed and more than one decent place to have dinner. “There are only a few places to patronize in the neighborhood,” said LaShaun Smith, of Congress Heights. “THEARC offers various exercise classes — yoga and Pilates; IHOP, which is the only place we can sit down and order a meal; and MLK Delhi, which has very good food.”

There is one Giant grocery store, a Popeye’s and not much else.
“We need a Chipotle, Starbucks, and a few café’s to sit, eat and have a drink,” Smith said. Many of the 19 projects slated for the area at a cost of $400 million are under way. The Department of Homeland Security will relocate in 2010 to St. Elizabeths — the mental hospital that once housed Ezra Pound and on whose premises several hundred Civil War soldiers rest in an integrated graveyard. This relocation will intensify efforts to develop the area.

Formerly off-base housing for the Air Force, the Savoy Court condominium development combines an Art Deco feel with quartz countertops, views of D.C. and stainless steel appliances. “The majority of people in the complex are single professionals with college degrees,” said The Advoc8te, who preferred being identified by her blog handle. “It’s hip. It’s high-end. It’s a great place to live,” she said.
Nonetheless, the area still struggles with an image problem.

“There are challenges,” she said of Congress Heights. “We’re like a diamond in a paper bag — and sometimes all you see is the bag. You wouldn’t know we have deer, foxes and bald eagles.” The historic Anacostia neighborhood features beautiful old town homes in the Wardman and Italianate styles. Its rich history dates back to the Nacotchtank tribe, which had settled along the river in the 16th century, and includes a visit by Captain John Smith in 1608. It was once home to Frederick Douglass and, ironically enough, was D.C.’s first suburb. “Since the ballpark was built, people are looking across the river for what’s next,” said resident David Garber, who writes the “And Now, Anacostia” blog. “There is an exciting charge in the air.” Recently, high-profile arts events have been held in new Anacostia galleries. Construction has begun on the Big Chair — believed to be the first coffee shop across the river.

“The future is bright for River East,” Smith said. “There are young professionals of all backgrounds and ethnicities moving into the neighborhood. With fresh ideas and new leadership, the community will see its full potential.” Progress is finally being made.

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