Jun 30, 2009

Jackson's mom gets control of the kids

While the tributes to Michael Jackson keep flowing in, his family moved quickly to take control of his complicated personal and financial affairs yesterday.

And there were new revelations about his death, with a lawyer saying it took up to half an hour for paramedics to be called to Jackson's home after he was found stricken in his bedroom.

Jackson's mother, Katherine, won temporary custody yesterday of Michael's three children, aged 7 to 12.

The children – Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (known as Prince Michael), Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael II – are living at the Jackson family compound in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley.

The Jacksons say they have not heard from Debbie Rowe, mother of the two older children, since their son's death.



A judge also allowed Katherine Jackson, 79, to take control of personal property of Michael's now in the hands of an unnamed third party but not any of the money in Jackson's estate.

Hearings have been scheduled for July 6 and Aug. 3 to consider Katherine Jackson's requests to be appointed the children's permanent guardian and to take charge of Jackson's estate.

Meanwhile, information about the delay in calling paramedics to Jackson's home came from Matt Alford, a partner in the law firm representing Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician who found Jackson with a faint pulse and performed CPR.

Alford said Murray was unfamiliar with his surroundings and that delayed the call. "He didn't know where he was, didn't know the physical address. There was no land line, no phone in Jackson's room that would have allowed him to call. It was all happening so fast."

Alford said he doesn't know how long Murray performed CPR on the singer before rushing downstairs and asking Jackson's chef to call 911. A security guard made the call and it took three minutes after that for paramedics to arrive, fire department officials have said.

They spent 42 minutes working with Murray on Jackson before transporting the 50-year-old pop icon to UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

In other developments yesterday, officials with the Los Angeles County coroner's office returned to the mansion Jackson was renting when he died and left with two large plastic bags of evidence.

Assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said the bags contained medication but declined to elaborate.

The coroner's office performed an autopsy on Jackson's body on Friday but deferred a decision on the cause of death, citing the need for further tests. A second, private autopsy was being performed Monday, according to Jackson's father, Joe.

Winter said the investigation will possibly continue for another four or five weeks, "with extensive testing."



There have been no details announced regarding Jackson's funeral, but many believe it could one of the largest celebrity memorial services ever. According to Britain's Daily Mail, the family is contemplating a private burial with a public remembrance, but some speculate more than a million people might flock to L.A. for the ceremony.

One senior Los Angeles police officer told the paper: "We are preparing for an event of historic proportions. We will be cooperating closely with the family once they have decided where to hold the funeral."

Complicating matters is that Jackson desired to be buried on his Neverland estate, which Joe Jackson has said won't happen.

It's expected there will be a battle over Jackson's property more convoluted than recent high-profile squabbles over the estates of singer James Brown and ex-Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith.

Complicating matters is that few, if any, people know all the details of the reclusive entertainer's financial affairs. His mother's filing, for example, declares that Jackson died "intestate," or without a will.

But celebrity website TMZ.com says that Jackson's lawyer has a copy of the pop singer's will and a source told the Associated Press last Friday that there is a will, which would take precedence in court.

Jun 29, 2009

Michael Jackson s funeral could be bigger than Elvis's and Princess Diana s, as up to a million mourners pour into LA

Up to a million mourners from around the world are expected to flock to Los Angeles for Jackson’s funeral.

The memorial service could prove even bigger than that of Elvis Presley or Princess Diana. The Jackson family was said to be considering a private burial followed by a public remembrance ceremony to be televised live to a global audience later this week.

One senior Los Angeles Police chief said: ‘We are preparing for an event of historic proportions. We will be cooperating closely with the family once they have decided where to hold the funeral.’

The family met over the weekend to discuss the singer’s wish to be buried at his now dilapidated Neverland ranch.


The idea is reportedly popular with Jackson’s former manager Dr Tohme Tohme and Colony Capital, the company that holds the mortgage on the sprawling 1,050-hectare estate near Santa Barbara.



The singer wished to be buried at his now dilapidated Neverland ranch

The ranch, once Jackson’s retreat from the world, has fallen into disrepair and the singer had not lived there since before his acquittal on child molestation charges in 2005.

His former advisers say turning it into the equivalent of Elvis Presley’s Graceland, with Jackson’s grave at the centre, could be a huge moneyspinner – offsetting Jackson’s multi-million-pound debts.

The singer's funeral could be an even bigger public spectacle than Princess Diana's


In 1977, nearly 80,000 fans lined the streets near Elvis Presley's Graceland Estate for his funeral in Memphis, Tennessee

The main obstacles are the lack of permit for a burial on the private estate and resistance from the local council, which says the two-lane road into Neverland could not cope with a massive influx of traffic.

The alternative is LA’s Forest Lawn Cemetery, where film legends such as Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Jean Harlow are buried.

In 1977, nearly 80,000 fans lined the streets near Elvis Presley’s Graceland Estate for his funeral in Memphis, Tennessee, and Princess Diana’s 1997 memorial service attracted more than a quarter of a million tearful spectators.

A host of celebrities are expected to attend Jackson’s funeral, including Elizabeth Taylor, Paul McCartney, Liza Minnelli, Brooke Shields, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Madonna and his ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley.

Jackson was raised a Jehovah’s Witness and his parents Joe and Katherine are keen to have a funeral in keeping with the faith, which forbids rowdy wakes, alcoholic toasts and practices that suggest ‘something in the person survives death’.
The faith is still followed by most of his famous family, apart from brother Jermaine, who became a Muslim 20 years ago.
Jackson was briefly linked to the Nation of Islam group but never fully embraced the religion. He also flirted briefly with Judaism.
The Rev Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist and a close friend of the family, flew into Los Angeles last night to help the family with their funeral preparations.
He said the family wanted to ensure Jackson’s legacy was honoured at the event.
Jackson’s coffin was under armed guard at a secret Los Angeles location last night after the family ordered a second autopsy.

Jun 28, 2009

Maidana Forces Himself Into Forefront With Scintillating Upset

Marcos Rene Maidana had just suffered his third knockdown within two rounds. He had a discouraged look on his face. His young opponent had the quicker, shorter punches to go along with jolting power Maidana had not yet encountered in his career. Very few men have.

He continued to fight on, looking to land the same right hand that deposited Victor Ortiz on the canvas in the opening round. But the speed and technique deficit became increasingly apparent in rounds three and four and the momentum was firmly in Ortiz' corner.

Still, the hard-hitting Argentinian confidently came forward. He had been here before, having engaged in a gut check four months earlier in Germany against WBA titlist Andriy Kotelnik. It went into the books as a split decision loss, but most who viewed the fight had a healthy respect for the grit Maidana displayed in the championship rounds as he tore into Kotelnik in hopes of taking the verdict out of the hands of the judges.

The 22 year old Victor Ortiz, while looking phenomenal in making short work of most of his victims, had never gone through anything close to that in a professional prize fight.

So perhaps it shouldn't have been a shock when Ortiz came away from a violent exchange in the middle of round 5 a changed man. While Maidana was becoming more comfortable with the young man's power, Ortiz was beginning to unravel. He had a gash over his eye from one of Maidana's slashing right hands. He got hammered with two more big right hands as the round ended and walked back to his corner on unsteady legs.

When his trainer threatened to stop the fight, Victor was silent. His fighting spirit had been broken by his aggressive opponent. He came out for the sixth, but Maidana ended the proceedings quickly as Ortiz crumpled under an onslaught of right hands. In conjunction with the fight doctor, he decided he had enough.

Having now been in two of the top ten fights of 2009, Maidana's future is promising. He makes for an excellent bout with any of the best that 140 has to offer. The winner of the July 18th matchup between Andriy Kotelnik and Amir Khan could be a natural fight to make... given that a Kotelnik win sets up an appealing rematch. I have my doubts that Khan's trainer Freddie Roach is ready to throw the explosive, but iffy-whiskered Brit into the lion's den.

A fight with fellow South American bangers Juan Urango or Ricardo Torres would be a treat as well. The jr. welterweight division has developed into a vibrant mix of young personalities within the last year, and with his scintillating victory over a highly touted knockout artist in a headlining HBO bout, Maidana has pushed himself out of obscurity and near the forefront.

Meanwhile, the way Victor Ortiz ended the fight and the subsequent comments made in his interview with Max Kellerman ("I'm young but I don't think I deserve to be getting beat up like this") can't be encouraging to fans hoping for an ascent to stardom for the Golden Boy Promotions (and by default, HBO) prodigy. But he's young and talented enough to bounce back. There's a good chance that the loss can make him a better, tougher fighter.

His time may still come. For now, Maidana has the spotlight. There's little doubt that he'll use it to make boxing a little brighter.

Jun 27, 2009

Is "Viewing" the Body in the Michael Jackson Death Photo a Modern Continuance of Tradition?

A Michael Jackson death photo has been posted online and many wonder why. What could possibly be gained by publishing Michael Jackson's death photo on the internet? Is it just for financial gain? More important, what does one gain by viewing a Michael Jackson death photo from the viewer's perspective? There seems to be an inordinate amount of curiosity regarding death photos these days, those of Michael Jackson simply being the latest in a long and sad line of expository death photography. But there it is: "Entertainment Tonight" has published a Michael Jackson death photo and the internet has been inundated with searches for the image of the pop singer's death.

But why? Why is there such an interest in a Michael Jackson death photo? Or, for that matter, a David Carradine death photo? Is it simply morbid curiosity?
The Michael Jackson death photo released by "Entertainment Tonight" showed the "King of Pop" being worked on by paramedics to keep the singer alive. Michael Jackson had collapsed in his home in Holmby Hills (Los Angeles) of an apparent cardiac arrest. Subsequent attempts to resuscitate


The exact circumstances surrounding the "King of Pop's" death are still relatively uncertain. The results of a three-hour autopsy conducted Friday was deferred until toxicology tests can determine if traces of drugs found in the late pop star's system contributed to his death. The doctor, Conrad Murray, who was at Michael Jackson's home when he collapsed was nowhere to be found after the 911 call. His sudden disappearance has caused authorities to seek him out for questioning. CNN announced that officials have been in touch with Conrad Murray and that an interview had been set up.

The curiosity over the death of Michael Jackson and the seemingly morbid searches for his death photo can also be explained in a traditional way as well. As part of the confirmation of death, it is within the traditions of many cultures that they participate in a "viewing" of the deceased during mourning. Searching for Michael Jackson's death photo (or David Carradine's, or Anna Nicole Smith's, or Heath Ledger's, etc.) can be seen as a modern method of "viewing" and paying one's last respects to the dead.


Morbid curiosity can explain why many attempt to find evidence of a person's death and look at a person who has died. Psychologists explain morbid curiosity various ways, among them a coping mechanism while mourning, a means to come to terms with one's own inevitable death, or an instinctive reaction to loss.

Some consider morbid curiosity a sick obsession with death and the processes of dying. And although this could explain a few individual's seemingly perverse addiction to observing something like a Michael Jackson death photo, a shocking car accident, or even images of the Metrorail crash in Washington this past week, most do not obsess. They simply observe, mentally assimilate and codify the experience, and literally move on with their lives.

Morbid curiosity incorporates confirmation of death. Seeing a Michael Jackson death photo confirms that the "King of Pop" is actually dead (unless the photo is a hoax, but that is a different topic altogether). People touched by the life of Michael Jackson and his music felt a sense of loss at his passing. Some even went through a phase of denial. A death photo helps many reach an acceptance phase.

Jun 26, 2009

Michael Jackson – All about an idol

The crowns fit: Michael Jackson was the King of Pop; Elvis Presley was the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Both men commanded the pop-culture landscape, as much as the charts. Both men influenced their industry, as well as scores of artists.
And both men died suddenly and barely into middle age.
Jackson, whose landmark Thriller broke records and racial divides, whose smooth moves revolutionized dance as much as pop, and whose penchant for headline-making helped burnish his brand, and, following child-abuse allegations, helped tarnish it as well, died today after being found unconscious at his Los Angeles-area home.

Jackson suffered cardiac arrest around noon, according to father Joe Jackson, and never recovered. He was prounced dead at 2:26 p.m., officials said.
Music's eternal Peter Pan was 50. In the end, the King of Pop outlived Presley, whose daughter Lisa Marie Presley Jackson would wed, by just eight years.
From child star to music icon—reflect on Michael Jackson's life with our collection of photos.
"There's really no question if you're going to talk about the most looming, dominant figure in 20th century pop music," pop-music expert and USC associate professor Josh Kun tells E! News, "Michael Jackson is that person."
"He became synonymous with what pop was, and what it still is today."
Beginnings
Born Aug. 29, 1958, in hardscrabble Gary, Ind., Jackson was a nightclub performer by the age of 5. The first gig, with older brothers Jackie, Marlon, Tito and Jermaine, earned the group $8, and, according to a Billboard-branded history of the charts, a whole lot more in tips.
"On stage for me was home," Jackson told Oprah Winfrey in 1993. "I was most comfortable on stage but once I got off stage, I was like very sad.
In 1969, the brothers were signed to Motown Records. Their band, the Jackson 5, with then 11-year-old Michael on electrifying lead vocals, scored its first No. 1 hit in 1970: "I Want You Back." "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There" followed. As did teen idoldom.
Like their Osmonds counterparts, the Jackson 5 lived the 1970s highlife: hit records, magazine covers, an animated series, and a prime-time variety show, The Jacksons, which gave early exposure to a very young Janet Jackson, the musical family's youngest child, and a semi-green David Letterman. Unlike the Osmonds, the Jackson 5 did it all by breaking barriers as the first teen-idol act of color.
At the center of it all was Michael, who became a chart-topper on his own with 1972's "Ben," a song sweet enough to transcend its rat-movie roots.
The singular member of the Jackson 5, rebranded as the Jacksons in 1976, Michael Jackson seemed primed for film stardom, as well, after costarring as the loose-limbed Scarecrow, opposite his mentor,Diana Ross, in The Wiz. But the 1978 musical bombed, and took out the decade's once-booming black-film market with it.
Breakthroughs
Hollywood's loss was pop music's gain. In 1979, Jackson released his first solo album, Off the Wall. Though overshadowed by what was to come, Off the Wall was an influential work in its own right, and a best-seller, too, producing classic tracks such as "Rock With You."
Then came Thriller.
Released in December 1982, Thriller represented the pinnacle of Jackson's career, and the birth of the Pepsi-pitching, Disneyland-appearing, "We Are the World"-promoting superstar. Combined with his Moonwalk-introducing appearance on Motown 25, the 1983 TV special, Jackson—and music—were transformed. The revolution, at the dawn and maybe peak of the music-video era, was televised on MTV, which previously had been slow to showcase black artists.
In a 2002 interview with Vibe magazine, Jackson said he knew Thriller and Off the Wall were going to be special.
"Not to be arrogant, but yes. Because I know great material when I hear it, and meoldically and sonically and musically, it's so moving." Jackson said. "They keep the promise."
Back before albums were cherry-picked by iTunes-downloading consumers, Thriller was its own greatest-hits playlist, producing almost as many singles as there were tracks, seven in all—"Beat It" and "Billie Jean," among them.
"We call a lot of things king-sized," Syracuse University pop-culture expert Robert J. Thompson tells E! News. "In this case, it was not hyperbole. He even dressed like royalty."
On Grammy night in 1983, Jackson, decked out in a glimmering military-style jacket, dark shades and one lone sequined glove, his trademark, carted off eight awards: seven for Thriller and one for his work on a children's recording of that year's film phenomenom, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.
Thriller ended up selling more than 104 million copies worldwide. In the United States, it spent years jockeying with volume one of the Eagles' greatest-hits collection for bragging rights as the Recording Industry Association of America's all-time certified best-seller.
Transitions
In his Thriller heyday, Jackson was viewed as both genius and man-child, but not necessarily an eccentric. Sure, he attended award shows in the company of Webster star Emmanuel Lewis, and, sure, his nose looked as if it might have been nipped a bit after Off the Wall, but there was nothing to scare off Pepsi, for which he was hired to sell soda to a new generation (and, in the process, singe his hair during a 1984 commercial shoot), or Disneyland, for which he starred in the park's Captain EO attraction.
Then a series of small things happened: the 1986 shot of him napping in a hyperbaric chamber; the tabloid story abut him wanting to buy the bones of the so-called Elephant Man; the menagerie of critters, including Bubbles the chimp, that comprised his posse at Neverland Ranch, the 2,800-acre estate turned fantasyland that Jackson bought in 1987.
And then a lot of plastic surgeries appeared to happen. By Jackson's count, he underwent only two procedures in his lifetime. But most bystanders begged to differ. Digital photo techology seemed invented to demonstrate how Jackson's face, and even his skin color, morphed over the years.
By the late 1980s, Jackson was all but branded an official eccentric. And he didn't care.
"The fans know the tabloid garbage is crap," Jackson told USA Today in 2001. "They always say to me, 'Let's have a tabloid-burning.'"
The hits, meanwhile, kept coming: "Dirty Diana," "Man in the Mirror," "Smooth Criminal," "Dirty Diana," and more, including the title track from 1987's Bad; "Black or White" and others from 1991's Dangerous.
Trouble
In 1993, Jackson, who, by that time, was positioned as an all-out kid-championing, if not kid-friendly, performer, was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy. Jackson denied any wrongdoing, and no criminal charges were filed. Years later it was reported Jackson paid his young accuser $23 million in a settlement.
In 1994, shortly after the molestation case was dropped, the 35-year-old Jackson wed Lisa Marie Presley. The two music-business babies had met in Las Vegas in the early 1970s. But if their union had a great backstory—King of Pop marries King of Rock's daughter—it was met with a great deal of skeptism. The couple protested.
"I'm not gonna marry somebody for any reason other than the fact that I've fallen in love with them. Period. Period," Presley told ABC News in 1995. "And they can eat it, if they wanna think any differently."
Jackson and Presley divorced in 1996.
Musically, Jackson seemed to vent his anger over the molestation case in 1995's "Scream," a joint howl with Janet Jackson, whose success at times nearly rivaled her big brother's.
While the song was a hit, Jackson's career took a hit, especially in the United States. As the years passed, Jackson produced more lawsuits, more headlines about his strained finances and more unusual behavior than music. A second marriage, in 1996 to Debbie Rowe, a former nurse for Jackson's dermatologist, with whom the entertainer had two children, didn't change popular opinion of a man dubbed "Wacko Jacko" by the British press.
Jackson and Rowe divorced in 1999.
More trouble ensued. In 2002, Jackson drew criticism for showing off his youngest child, a son born that year via surrogate and nicknamed Blanket, to the press gathered below his Paris hotel balcony.
In 2003, months after Jackson told interviewer Martin Bashir that he had innocently "slept in a bed with many children," the singer's Neverland Ranch was raided—and Jackson was subsequently arrested. Another child-molestation case was on. This time, the case went to trial. And the circus was on.
The salacious 2005 trial, involving testimony about chimps, Macaulay Culkin and a hot-air balloon plot, and briefly sidetracked by a hospitalization for the frail-looking defendant, ended in Jackson's acquittal.
Post-trial, Jackson and his children hopscotched the globe, eventually returning to the states, although never to Neverland. And never to his Thriller heights.
Even with all the blows, Kun says, Jackson's star never fully dimmed. "Elvis is still very much remembered for the glory days of his career," he says. "And with Michael Jackson, that's what people are going to remember the most."
Legacy
In late 2007, Jackson, approaching his 50th birthday and looking back on the 25th anniversary ofThriller, described himself as grateful for his run.
"I'm very proud that we opened doors, that it helped tear down a lot," Jackson told Ebony magazine. "Going around the world, doing tours, in stadiums, you see the influence of the music."
This past March, Jackson announced a series of concerts, scheduled for July in London, which would mark, as he put it, "his final curtain call."
"When I say this is it," Jackson said, "it really means this is it."
Jackson's survivors include his three children, parents Joe and Katherine, his six bandmates and brothers, including Randy, a latter-day member of the Jacksons, and sisters Janet, Rebbie and La Toya.
He also leaves behind 13-career Grammys, and, scattered in record collections throughout the world, 750 million album copies of Jackson's life work: his music

Cap and Trade Bill - Good or Bad for All of US?

Cap and Trade Bill – The Obamas Win!
A major victory for President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the House of Representatives passed the Cap and Trade bill (also known as climate change bill). But Republicans are mad about the national energy tax that they say would intensify the nation’s economic problems.
Cap and Trade Bill Votes – Who voted for Cap and Trade?
The Cap and Trade bill votes was extremely close – 219-212, with eight Republicans voting yes and 44 Democrats voting no. And the debate leading up to it was intense.
Rep. Geoff Davis, a Republican from Kentucky, said the cap-and-trade bill represented the “economic colonization of the heartland” by New York
California. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) called the bill a “scam” that would do nothing but satisfy “the twisted desires of radical environmentalists.”
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) called it a “massive transfer of wealth” from the United States to foreign countries.
Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio countered that, without the bill, the United States would remain energy-dependent on people who want to “fly planes into our buildings.”
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) told his colleagues that they had “a unique historical opportunity” to protect the nation’s national security, improve the environment and transform the economy. “Vote for this legislation,” Waxman said to applause from Democrats.
The Cap and Trade bill has made several debates as to what the bill may bring to the American People. Will it be good to many Americans, or will it just put additional sufferings to the poor? Many think that his bill is a gateway. They said the bill will be used as justification to regulate every industry or product the government can get their grimy little fingers on. Politicians get rich. Government gets more power and control. Businesses just pass on the cost, leaving only one looser: the consumer.
U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX) questions the real environmental benefits of the measure and fears the cost to Texas families and small businesses.
“I have young children, so of course the environment matters. But this bill won’t impact the natural cycle of the earth’s temperature and will cost families dearly in higher utility bills, higher energy costs and nearly 200,000 lost jobs in Texas. With China, India and other nations refusing to participate, independent experts predict this bill will not yield any measurable environmental benefits.”
The congressman, who is the top House Republican on the Joint Economic Committee, says the jobs most at risk are here in southeast Texas in the energy, refining, paper, steel and agriculture industries. And because the products American companies sell and ship overseas will be especially hard hit by cap and trade, Texas as the largest exporting state in the nation is especially vulnerable.
“The biggest hit will be felt in southeast Texas, but you’ll see job losses reach every region of the state,” he predicts.
Brady (R-TX) shared his thoughts for a better solution.
“Instead of rushing this 1,200 page bill through the House with less than 24 hours to read it, a better solution is for Republicans and Democrats to get serious about increasing cleaner burning fuels like nuclear and natural gas, accelerating research into renewable energy and tapping America’s abundant traditional energy to transition to a greener future. That makes more sense, creates jobs and produces real environmental results without cap and trade’s devastating cost to families and businesses.”
Currently, the cap and tax legislation will cost each household in Texas an extra $3,128 per year and each person will be burdened with an extra $903 per year in taxes according to budget experts. The net job losses predicted for Texas are 197,000 according to the Heritage Foundation.

Jun 25, 2009

Friends, Fans Mourn the Death of 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson

The tragic death of Michael Jackson has shocked the world, and messages of grief and appreciation have poured in from his family and close friends in Hollywood and around the globe.

"I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children who I know were everything to him and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me," said Jackson's ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley.

"My heart is overcome with sadness for the devastating loss of my true friend Michael. He was an extraordinary friend, artist and contributor to the world. I join his family and his fans in celebrating his incredible life and mourning his untimely passing," Brooke Shields said in a statement.

Madonna also issued a statement, saying: "I can't stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever. My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless."

"Michael Jackson was my generation's most iconic cultural hero. Courageous, unique and incredibly talented. He'll be missed greatly,"said Russell Simmons, hip-hop entrepreneur and founder of Def-Jam Records.

Al Sharpton said he had spoken to Jackson recently about upcoming concerts planned in Great Britain.

"In my last conversations, including the conversations a couple of months ago when I was teasing him that I was coming to England to see him perform again, he talked about how many people had let him down, but I told him it didn't matter, he never let the fans down," Sharpton said at a news conference.

"For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words," said Quincy Jones, who produced "Thriller." "He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

Singer Dionne Warwick said: "Michael was a friend and undoubtedly one of the world's greatest entertainers that I fortunately had the pleasure of working with. ... We have lost an icon in our industry."


Neil Portnow, the president of The Recording Academy, said Jackson's career "transcends musical and cultural genres and his contributions will always keep him in our hearts and memories."

“Rarely has the world received a gift with the magnitude of artistry, talent, and vision as Michael Jackson," Portnow said. "He was a true musical icon whose identifiable voice, innovative dance moves, stunning musical versatility and sheer star power carried him from childhood to worldwide acclaim."

Among the fellow musicians morning the loss was R&B singer Ginuwine, who told FOX News that words couldn’t describe how he felt at the news of Jackson’s death.

“When I heard that, I said, that can’t be true," he said. "You almost don’t want to believe it.”

But Hollywood heavyweight – and former Jackson publicist — Michael Levine told FOXNews.com he wasn’t surprised by the devastating news.

"Michael has been on an impossibly difficult and often self-destructive journey for years," Levine said. "His talent was unquestionable, but so too was his discomfort with the norms of the world. A human simply can not withstand this level of prolonged stress.''

FOXNews.com also spoke exclusively to Jon Cohen, the former head of Jackson's label "A&R Records" who was still in close contact with and a good friend of the King of Pop.

"We spoke recently and he was in very high spirits. I wasn't aware of any heart problems and he was in good health," Cohen said. "I am in complete shock. He was so excited for the tour, it really would have been a comeback. He was rehearsing and up to the task. Michael was a very knowledgeable man. He was full of life and was such a visionary. More than anything, he loved his children very much."

"From his performances with the Jackson 5 to the premiere of the 'moonwalk' and 'Thriller,' Michael was a pop phenomenon who never stopped pushing the envelope of creativity," California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

"Though there were serious questions about his personal life, Michael was undoubtedly a great entertainer and his popularity spanned generations and the globe," Schwarzenegger said.

In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.

"No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow," Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. "It's like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died."

Benjamin Todd Jealous, president of the NAACP, issued a statement, saying: "Michael's example of musical artistry was rooted in the proud tradition of black American music. His career trajectory — from the working-class streets of industrial Gary, Ind., during the post-World War II boom, to the heights of the entertainment industry — is a classic example of black American achievement, and of the American Dream."

Paul McCartney Adds Atlanta, Boston and Washington, DC Shows

What began as Paul McCartney christening the New York Mets’ new Queens stadium is beginning to develop into a mini tour as Sir Paul has added shows in Boston, Washington, DC, and Atlanta, Georgia, to his summer schedule. And his Websiteimplies more dates are on the way: “Look out for more news on additional dates here on PM.com very, very, soon…” The Atlanta concert on August 15th will be a benefit to raise money for the upkeep of the city’s Piedmont Park, which will host the concert.

Piedmont Park was founded in 1887, but local authorities in recent years have struggled to find the funds to maintain it. In 2007, the Dave Matthews Band and Allman Brothers attracted 50,000 concertgoers to the park for a benefit show, and Macca’s August 15th concert is expected to eclipse that crowd, the AP reports.

Additionally, McCartney has also booked an August 1st concert at Washington, DC’s FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins.According to a press release, Paul’s set will be stocked with Beatles, Wings and solo career hits, plus some songs from Paul’s side project the Fireman and their new album Electric Arguments. The concert will be McCartney’s first in the nation’s capital since October 2005, however the Beatles’ played their first-ever concert in America at the Washington Coliseum in 1964. Tickets for the FedEX Field show go on sale tomorrow, June 26th. McCartney’s pair of shows at Boston’s Fenway Park (where Phish and Dave Matthews Band recently performed) go down August 5th and 6th.

McCartney’s headlining set at Coachella was his most recent stateside gig before he announced a pair of shows at New York’s new Citi Field. The structure is a replacement for Shea Stadium, where the Beatles played their legendary concert in 1965; McCartney helped Billy Joel play the last-ever gig there before it was demolished. McCartney’s shows at the new stadium are July 17th, 18th and 21st.

Census 2010

This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," June 24, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

JUDGE ANDREW NAPOLITANO, GUEST HOST: It's hard to have a vote of confidence in the 2010 census when controversial groups like ACORN are recruiting headhunters.

But a freshman lawmaker says he's found a way to put confidence back into the census count while also helping our postal service dig its way out of a budget deficit.

Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz is here with his solution. Congressman, welcome here.

REP. JASON CHAFFETZ, R-UTAH: Thanks, Judge.

NAPOLITANO: So, what should the post office do that the census people shouldn't?

CHAFFETZ: Well, the Census Bureau has been given some $11 billion to conduct the census on April 1st of 2010. The problem that I have with it is that they're partnering with nefarious organizations — like ACORN — in order to hire 750,000 people to go out and do this counting.

Now, at the same time, we have a postal service with 760,000 employees who is a trusted entity, who already is charged with going door-to-door to every home in America.

So, it just seems to me that we already have a federal workforce in place. They are a trusted organization. And I do not trust ACORN, do not want them to be part of the process. I'd much rather have the postal service execute on this.

NAPOLITANO: All right. The postal service loses about $2 billion to $3 billion every quarter. So, the taxpayers subsidize the post office. Does it help them, or does it cost us more money when they have more work to do?

CHAFFETZ: Well, the post office has been losing money. We actually haven't appropriated federal money since the early 1980s. But this year, they're totally upside-down financially.

So, here we're going to be spending over $11 billion. We might as well be spending that on an organization that we're going to continue to have in place, who doesn't have the nefarious background that ACORN and the others have, and we have can a have a postal holiday, not deliver the mail on the Census Day.

NAPOLITANO: Right.

CHAFFETZ: And have these postal workers go out and do the enumeration that needs to be done to fulfill our constitutional duty of a census.

NAPOLITANO: How would the government, how would the Obama administration, Congressman, possibly think that it could get away with hiring a group like ACORN? After all we've been through, after all the fraud, proven and alleged, after all the indictments, after all the charges, after all the wasted money, we would entrust the census, which determines how many members of the House of Representatives each state gets, to a group like this.

Does the White House really think the public would stand for something like that?

CHAFFETZ: Well, I think this is a common sense business approach. I hope that it's met with open arms. I've worked the unions there at the postal service. I've talked to the postmaster general. I want to talk to the White House and my Democratic colleagues on the other side of the aisle.

But we're going to be — the census is so important because it's the makeup of the United States Congress and the federal government also hands out about $300 billion as a direct result each year on what the census numbers show. So, it is critically imperative that we have the trust and confidence of the American people when we go out and collect this data.

NAPOLITANO: All right. So, under your proposal, would the postman or postwoman simply knock on your door and say, how many people live in this house, or would they give you that four or five or 10 or 20-page form and ask you how many showers you have and how many bathrooms and what the educational level and income level is of the people living there, and how many times you go to church during the week?

(LAUGHTER)

CHAFFETZ: It's not as comprehensive as the one you just articulated. It's the basic information about the age, the number of members in that household, the race, when they were born, so we can better understand what's happening within the population as a whole.

So, it's actually a fairly quick form, but, you know, if there are multiple members of your family, it's intended to be finding out what each and every member, how old they are, and what race and background they are.

NAPOLITANO: Right. I got to tell you, I hope this passes, because it's going to save us a lot of money, and for all of its faults in the post office, it's certainly a lot more honest than ACORN.

CHAFFETZ: Exactly.

NAPOLITANO: But when people ask me what the law is, what do they have to tell the census taker, I'll tell them, simply this: How many people live in that house and nothing else. It's none of the government's business when they were born, what their race or what they earn.

Good luck with this, Congressman. Thanks for joining us.

CHAFFETZ: Thank you, Judge. Thank you.