Michael Jackson for the Soul fanthology

Another four star review at Amazon- keep ‘em coming. That’s four out of four, at four stars, for Michael Jackson for the Soul: a fanthology of inspiration and love, by Lorette C. Luzajic and other fans.

To be fair,  two of the reader reviews are contributors, not just readers. I’m glad they enjoyed the book, too.
If you enjoyed it, could you drop by Amazon and tell them what you thought about Michael Jackson for the Soul?

The new reader review said:

“Love this book! Gave a copy to a friend, and as suggested by another reviewer, I included a pack of Kleenex!!!”

Click here to see the book at Amazon.

Hear that, folks? Michael Jackson for the Soul makes a wonderful gift. And in the spirit of Michael Jackson, one dollar from the sale of each book goes to Kids Help Phone to help get information and emergency services to children in need.

Michael Jackson Cake

I received this picture of an awesome cake from an Extreme MJ reader. He says,

“My daughter has enlisted in the US Marine.  Although I’m nervous as a dad, I’m very proud of her.  I made her a going away Michael Jackson cake.  Hope you like it and can share with fans.”

Michael Jackson Cake

 

Dad is also an artist, and he created this amazing oil painting.

If you need a cake, or want to take a look at more cool dessert, visit:

thecakefather.net

Lorette is interviewed about art and MJ at Art Nectar Magazine

 

Just a note to all you guys that I was interviewed by Art Nectar Magazine about my artwork, and of course I talk about Michael Jackson and how much he has inspired me. Check it out here:

“If you could spend the day with any artist living or deceased who would it be?”

Lorette: “Michael Jackson, hands down. Among the most creative people who ever lived…”

Click link below to keep reading.

http://artnectar.com/2011/04/interview-artist-lorette-luzajic-creator-idea-fountain/

Goodbye Elizabeth

“She was unquestionably gorgeous. I can think of no other word to describe a combination of plentitude, frugality, abundance, tightness. She was lavish. She was a dark unyielding largesse. She was, in short, too bloody much.”

–Richard Burton, Meeting Mrs. Jenkins (1966)

Sometimes when a spouse dies, the widow or widower only lives a few months or a few years longer. Can this be the case with best friends? Elizabeth Taylor had many ups and downs in her lifetime, but she was absolutely broken when her friend died so young. Both superstars, both eccentrics, and both relentlessly gossiped about, the unlikely pair had much in common. Liz stood by her friend, believing in him through all of the heinous allegations. She said Michael’s was the purest love she’d ever known.

After MJ passed away, Liz commented:

“My heart … my mind … are broken. I loved Michael with all my soul and I can’t imagine life without him. We had so much in common and we had such loving fun together. I was packing up my clothes to go to London for his opening when I heard the news. I still can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it. It can’t be so. He will live in my heart forever but it’s not enough. My life feels so empty. I don’t think anyone knew how much we loved each other. The purest most giving love I’ve ever known. Oh God! I’m going to miss him. I can’t yet imagine life without him. But I guess with God’s help … I’ll learn. I keep looking at the photo he gave me of himself, which says, ‘To my true love Elizabeth, I love you forever.’ And, I will love HIM forever.”

Liz on Michael

“When I hear the name Michael Jackson, I think of brilliance, of dazzling stars, lasers and deep emotions. I adore Michael Jackson. I think he is one of the world’s biggest and greatest stars, and it just so happens that he’s one of the most gifted music makers the world has ever known.
What makes Michael more unique may be the fact that all of his accomplishments, his rewards, have not altered his sensitivity and concern for the welfare of others, or his intense caring and love for his family and friends, and especially all the children the world over.
I think Michael is the litmus paper. He is always trying to learn. He is so intelligent that he is alarmingly bright. He is also very curious and wants to draw from people who have surveved.
People who have lasted. He’s not really of this planet.
He is filled with deep emotions that create an unearthly, special, innocent, childlike, wise man that is Michael Jackson. I think Michael appeals to the child in all of us, and I think he has the quality of innocence that we would all like to obtain or to have kept.
He has one of the sharpest wits, he’s intelligent and he’s cunning – that is a strange word to use about him, because it implies deviousness and he is one o the least deviuos people I have ever met in my life – he is honesty personified – painfully honest – and vulnerable to the point of pain.
He is so giving of himself that, at times, he leaves very little to protect the beautiful inner core that is the essence of him. That is the thing that I love so much about him and that makes the world identify with him in the way it does.
Michael Jackson is, indeed, an international favourite for all ages, an incredible force of incredible energy. In the art of music, he is a pacesetter for quality of production, in the vanguard for high standards of entertainment. What is a genius? what is a living legend? What is a megastar? Michael Jackson, that’s all.
And just when you think you know him, he gives you more. . .
I think he is one of the finest people to this planet, and, in my estimation, he’s the true King of Pop, Rock and Soul.

— from : “Dancing the Dream”, Michael Jackson.

 

inseparable, and occasionally twins

liz in her glory days of gorgeousness

apologia

Just a quick note to everyone to say I AM SO SORRY for totally neglecting this blog lately. It is not over- I have a pile up of posts to make- just really struggling to stay on top of a thousand things. Once I catch up, I am going to try to set a posting schedule and stick to it so that I don’t disappoint anyone. I’m missing Michael, but I know he would support my inspiration and productivity in other areas just as much. See you VERY soon.

xoxoxo

Lorette

King of Pop Quiz

I was asked to speak at a screening of This Is It at the Toronto Spokeclub on Saturday night. We had such fun doing this quiz that I thought I’d post it for you all to enjoy. Scroll down for the answer sheet. Cheers!

King of Pop Quiz

By Lorette C. Luzajic

 

 

 

1. Multiple choice:

How many Grammy nominations did Thriller get?

6

3

119

12

 

2. Question:

How many of those nominations won the award? _____

 

3. Multiple choice:

Michael named both of his sons Prince Michael  because:

-He was a megalomaniac and King of Pop wasn’t enough.

-Because he had a sly sense of humour and a brilliant sense of the absurd.

-Because angels whispered the names to him.

-Because Michael was Prince Michael to his tribe in Africa.

 

4. Question:

Which of the following are Michael Jackson songs?

 

We Are Here to Change the World

Whatzupwitu

Cry Out of Joy

Better on the Other Side

Morphine

Human Nature

Stranger in Moscow

Come Together

Billie Jean

We Are the World

Sex Machine

 

5. True or False: Princess Diana was offended by Michael Jackson’s Dirty Diana at a London show.

 

6. True or false:

Michael’s work was inspired by sacred vedic hindu mythology.

7. Multiple choice:

What was Michael Jackson’s favourite album?

Love Child by the Supremes

Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky

Prisoner of Love by James Brown

Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson

8. Multiple choice:

What was Michael’s favourite song?

 

Smile by Charlie Chaplin

Claire de Lune  Debussy

Yesterday by the Beatles

Amazing Grace, popular hymn

 

9. Which of these authors  or books did Michael NOT read?

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ernest Hemingway

J.A. Barrie

The Holy Bible

Other sacred texts from world religions

 

9. Multiple Choice:

Which of these were influences in Michael’s video and performance work? Check all that apply.

 

P.T. Barnum and the circus

Film noir

Fred Astaire

West Side Story and classics of Broadway theatre

Science fiction fantasy

Global traditional or tribal drumming and dance

American Werewolf in London

Funk and r and b performance traditions

Classic horror cinema and b-movies

Shakespeare

Classical music

Shapeshifting and shamanism in mythology

Children’s stories

Urban/street performers

 

10. Who said it?

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been that intoxicated by anything.”

11. Who said it?

“I still have all his stuff on my iPod.”

12. Who said it?

Michael was “the best father you could ever imagine.”

13. Multiple Choice:

How many records total has Michael Jackson sold?

-15 million

-750 million

-88 million

-2 billion

 

14. Multiple choice:

Who said Michael Jackson was a genius?

-Motown mogul Berry Gordy

-troubled songstress Amy Winehouse

-Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony

-pop idol Justin Timberlake

-Donald Trump

 

15. Question:

a) in the 45- minute three song music video, Ghosts, did Michael play the eccentric composer or the white, middle class, hostile mayor?

b) with whom did Michael co-write  this film?

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King of Pop Quiz

By Lorette C. Luzajic

 

 

1. Multiple choice:

How many Grammy nominations did Thriller get?

6

3

119

12

 

Answer:

Twelve.

 

2. Question:

How many of those nominations won the award? _____

 

Answer: Eight. The sweep set a new record, of course. It was never topped, but it was later tied by Santana.

 

 

 

 

3. Multiple choice:

Michael named both of his sons Prince Michael  because:

-He was a megalomaniac and King of Pop wasn’t enough.

-Because he had a sly sense of humour and a brilliant sense of the absurd.

-Because angels whispered the names to him.

-Because Michael was Prince Michael to his tribe in Africa.

 

None of the above. He named them both Prince after his grandfather. However, the original Prince Michael was indeed Michael himself. He was a prince to people in Krindjabo, Ivory Coast. The Sanwi people appointed him their prince. When Michael died, the people had a ritual funeral, with days of dancing and drumming, and over 2000 mourners.

 

 

 

4. Question:

Which of the following are Michael Jackson songs?

 

We Are Here to Change the World

Whatzupwitu

Cry Out of Joy

Better on the Other Side

Morphine

Human Nature

Stranger in Moscow

Come Together

Billie Jean

We Are the World

Sex Machine

 

Answer: Cry out of Joy is by Akon about Michael, Better on the Other Side is a tribute by rapper The Game. Come Together is a Beatles song covered by Michael Jackson. Sex Machine is by MJ’s idol, James Brown. Whatzupwitu is an MJ song with Eddie Murphy.

 

 

 

5. True or False: Princess Diana was offended by Michael Jackson’s Dirty Diana at a London show.

 

False: She asked Michael ahead of time if he was planning to play Dirty Diana. He told her that he had taken it out of the set for that event, wanting to be respectful of her feelings. She told him she loved the song.

 

 

 

6. True or false:

Michael’s work was inspired by sacred vedic hindu mythology.

True. In his poetry collection, Dancing the Dream, he wrote, “you and I were never separate- it’s just an illusion.” He also wrote about returning to bliss, where he came from. At a blog, a student of Vedic philosophy shares stories of Krishna, noting Michael’s source of inspiration. “From bliss I came, In bliss I am sustained, To bliss I return” is from the Taittiriya Upanishad 3.6.1,” observes the blogger. “The above, Unbounded Consciousness, Truth, Existence, and Bliss, is a basic concept and description of God in the vedic teachings.” Explaining the concept Michael references about separateness and illusion, he writes, “It is taught that we are never separate from God but due to illusion or maya we fail to see our connection. The goal of the vedic path (yoga=union) is to free ourselves from the maya or illusion of seeing ourselves as separate from God and to come to the realization that we are part of and always with God.” The themes are woven throughout Michael’s body of work, for example, the song Another Part of Me. Michael was an incredibly spiritual person, and teachings from many faiths have inspired his work.

 

 

 

7. Multiple choice:

What was Michael Jackson’s favourite album?

Love Child by the Supremes

Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky

Prisoner of Love by James Brown

Rhythm Nation by Janet Jackson

Answer: Tchaikovsky.

“Ever since I was a little boy, I would study composition. And it was Tchaikovsky that influenced me the most. If you take an album like Nutcracker Suite, every song is a killer, every one.”

 

8. Multiple choice:

What was Michael’s favourite song?

 

Smile by Charlie Chaplin

Claire de Lune  Debussy

Yesterday by the Beatles

Amazing Grace, popular hymn

 

Answer: Smile. His brother Jermaine sang it at his public memorial.

 

9. Which of these authors  or books did Michael NOT read?

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ernest Hemingway

J.A. Barrie

The Holy Bible

Other sacred texts from world religions

 

Answer: Michael read all of the above, and more. He had a library of over 10 thousand books and they were not just for decoration. LA bookstores have reported that Michael “was a sort of Johnny Appleseed of reading.” Clerks would open the store after hours and Michael would come in with vanloads of kids and security…the kids could pick whatever they wanted to take home.

 

 

9. Multiple Choice:

Which of these were influences in Michael’s video and performance work? Check all that apply.

 

P.T. Barnum and the circus

Film noir

Fred Astaire

West Side Story and classics of Broadway theatre

Science fiction fantasy

Global traditional or tribal drumming and dance

American Werewolf in London

Funk and r and b performance traditions

Classic horror cinema and b-movies

Shakespeare

Classical music

Shapeshifting and shamanism in mythology

Children’s stories

Urban/street performers

 

Answer: all of the above. Careful observation and analysis of Michael’s work unearths endless layers of homage and influence, revealing him to be a voracious student of diverse entertainment, literary, and music traditions. Michael’s philosophy was “The best lesson to the world is to observe the masters at work.”

 

 

 

10. Who said it?

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been that intoxicated by anything.”

 

Answer: Lisa Marie Presley, his ex-wife, on Oprah.

 

11. Who said it?

“I still have all his stuff on my iPod.”

 

Answer: President Obama.

 

12. Who said it?

Michael was “the best father you could ever imagine.”

 

Answer: Paris Jackson.

 

13. Multiple Choice:

How many records total has Michael Jackson sold?

-15 million

-750 million

-88 million

-2 billion

 

Answer: Latest figures come in around 750 million, and still selling every day.

 

14. Multiple choice:

Who said Michael Jackson was a genius?

-Motown mogul Berry Gordy

-troubled songstress Amy Winehouse

-Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony

-pop idol Justin Timberlake

-Donald Trump

 

Answer: all of the above.

 

15. Question:

a) in the 45- minute three song music video, Ghosts, did Michael play the eccentric composer or the white, middle class, hostile mayor?

b) with whom did Michael co-write  this film?

 

Answer:

Michael played both characters, though you wouldn’t believe it possible to see it. The film was co-written with Stephen King.

 

 

Please visit Lorette at ideafountain.ca.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black and White Art by Martin Šnirc

Can you guys believe this incredible drawing? Martin Šnirc is from Slovakia. He says “I´m very sexi artist and that´s all.” And this is a very sexy, very beautiful drawing of Michael Jackson. Bravo, Martin, amazing job.

Happy Valentine’s Day Michael!

On Valentine’s Day I send you all my love and offer up apologies for not posting much these days. I love this project but sometimes it takes a back seat to other projects and there are only so many hours in a day. But on Valentine’s Day it’s a great occasion to remember Michael Jackson’s spirit of love and pass it around if we can.

a fan made this- if it was you, let us know!

adorable heart earrings

remember the time

Took a photo of this mural yesterday, at Bathurst and Spadina in toronto. It says, Remember the Time- Rest in Paradise. Beautiful.

Dr. Conrad Murray Trial by Matt Semino

Today we have a guest post from attorney and legal analyst Matt Semino, which many of you may have already read on Huffington Post. Thanks to Matt for sending this thoughtful reflection on the Murray trials for us.

Dr. Conrad Murray Trial, a Bitter Pill to Swallow

by Matt Semino, 01.26.2011

Brace yourself. It’s starting again. The stage has been set for another legal drama featuring the King of Pop. Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s personal physician, was arraigned on Tuesday morning in Los Angeles Superior Court. Stating, “Your honor, I am an innocent man,” Murray pled not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the star’s death. Jury selection for his trial is set to commence on March 28. If convicted, the maligned doctor could face a maximum of up to four years in prison.

Can anyone bear to watch Michael Jackson be dissected yet again in the court of public opinion? Fortunately, unlike the child molestation cases, there are socially prescient issues that will be addressed by a Dr. Conrad Murray trial. Issues that have the potential to generate useful policy discourse.

Michael Jackson will now be presented by the prosecution as the victim rather than the victimizer. This trial will unfold without the star ever having to personally defend his actions or perceived predilections. Instead, the focus will be on Dr. Murray, the man who was privy to Jackson’s exclusive daily life leading up to precise moments of his death. Murray’s attorneys will need to explain what exactly happened on June 25, 2009. Why did Michael Jackson die and who was responsible? The tables have turned, not out of vengeance brought by “crazy” Jackson fans, but by the law seeking truth where injustice has occurred.

Confident and seeking a speedy trial, Dr. Murray’s defense team has already begun to draw their Michael Jackson portrait. Predictably, they will argue that he was a demanding, drug dependent pop star who was sick, suicidal and ultimately responsible for his own fate. Inevitably, certain media outlets will jump on this characterization with stories that blur the line between honest journalism and tabloid sensationalism. Of course, some will argue that every human being, including Jackson, should be held accountable for their personal decisions, actions and even their own death. But come on now! Let’s not fool ourselves into believing that mantra is really the crux of this debacle.

While there are many actors in this story, the Michael Jackson tragedy is foremost a tale of the abysmal ethical choices, disastrous professional judgment and horrendous medical practices of a trusted caretaker. Dr. Conrad Murray exploited loopholes in the system, turned a blind eye, became sloppy, tried to cover up his mistakes and then got caught. It certainly could have ended differently.

Giving Murray the benefit of the doubt, perhaps he was working in the wrong place, at the wrong time and with the wrong man. The cash and Hollywood allure though were too seductive for him to resist. Dr. Murray’s reputation, livelihood and career now hang in abeyance. Even if acquitted, what he will have sorely learned is that when playing carelessly with a raging fire, you are guaranteed to get scorched.

Hired in 2009 by concert promoters AEG to serve as Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Murray was paid the exorbitant sum of $150,000 a month for his position. He was charged with caring for the star and ensuring that Jackson was healthy enough to attend rigorous rehearsals as he prepared for a comeback tour. That spring, Murray promptly closed his Houston and Las Vegas medical practices and moved to Los Angeles to care for the music legend on a full-time basis at his rented Holmby Hills mansion. What eventually developed turned out to be a highly destructive patient-physician relationship.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office determined that Michael Jackson died of acute propofol poisoning. A powerful surgical anesthetic which is only to be administered in a hospital, propofol was being given to Jackson in his home as a sleep aid to combat chronic insomnia. Dr. Murray has claimed that he was unaware of Jackson’s propofol use prior to accepting his post and that he eventually became concerned the star was becoming addicted to the drug.

Despite glaring red flags and against his sound professional judgment, Murray continued to administer propofol to Jackson regularly during the two months leading up to and on the day of his death. He allegedly left Jackson unattended under the influence of the drug on that fateful morning, failed to properly resuscitate the star when he stopped breathing and then delayed calling 911, all while seeking to hide evidence. When help finally arrived, Murray did not inform medics that he had ever given Jackson propofol. Negligence?

According to witness testimony from Murray’s preliminary hearing, the doctor also crossed clear ethical boundaries on a number of occasions during the time period when he was caring for the star. Such testimony revealed that Murray employed tactics of blatant misrepresentation to obtain excessive amounts of propofol and other sedatives from a Las Vegas pharmacy for Michael Jackson’s use. Large quantities of these drugs were later found in Jackson’s home after his death. Fraud?

If Dr. Murray believed that Michael Jackson was becoming an addict, why did he continue to administer potentially harmful and addictive drugs? If Dr. Murray was so concerned for Jackson’s welfare, why didn’t he proactively seek help from family members or handlers to stage an intervention on the star’s behalf? Why didn’t Dr. Murray just remove himself as Michael Jackson’s physician? Whether or not Jackson demanded propofol, his “milk,” is irrelevant in this case. Dr. Conrad Murray, a medical professional once licensed in three states, should have never given the drug to Michael Jackson.

The question of whether Murray was negligent in administering propofol to the pop icon will be the central legal issue in this case. However, this saga extends far beyond the universe of esoteric drug names, technical medical evidence and narrow interpretations of law. At its heart, it is a morality play ripe with classic, Shakespearean themes. The opiates of money and power, combined with the lust for celebrity and fame, drove a once respected member of the medical community to breach his responsibilities to his patient, his profession and ultimately to society. How did this happen?

Getting to the nut of the Dr. Conrad Murray case is going to be a dizzying affair. Enduring it though will possibly unearth a precedential jewel. Guilty or not guilty, it is highly questionable whether emotional justice will ever be served to the millions who seek it.

What can be the certain outcome of a Dr. Murray trial is that the legal system, the medical establishment and the public will begin to address some pressing policy questions. What are the acceptable parameters of the private patient-physician relationship? How can the fraudulent trafficking of potentially lethal pharmaceutical drugs be stopped? Through what institutional mechanisms can proper standards of medical professional ethics and practice be effectively enforced? Michael Jackson would undoubtedly want an element of humanity and positive social change to come from this imperfect storm. That is its simple potential.

 

Matt Semino is a New York City based attorney and legal analyst who reports on headline-grabbing celebrity and entertainment news. Matt offers an authoritative voice on the intersection of law and public policy with popular culture and society. He has written extensively on high-profile celebrity cases and been featured as a legal expert in such national media as Forbes, CNBC and Fox. Matt’s policy experience includes working in the U.S. Department of Justice as a representative of the Harry S. Truman Foundation and in the British Parliament as a research fellow with the London School of Economics. He is a graduate of Columbia Law School, Cornell University and was a Fulbright Scholar in Asia. Matt can be contacted at matt@mattsemino.com.