I thought twice before posting this as some part of me feels that Patrick Carlyon’s brash slander of Michael Jackson was intentional for the purposes of sparking debate and standing out amongst the empathetic coverage of The King of Pop’s death. Then I decided that I don’t care if this is his agenda- I’ll go ahead and say what I want to say.

Firstly, I don’t see why it is necessary to compare Michael Jackson’s memorial service to that of our annual Anzac Day service. Obviously, the impact of war not only in Australia, but all over the world, warrants the outpouring of tributes, honour and remembrance for those who sacrificed their lives for their country. How by mentioning this is supposed to belittle the turnout for Jackson’s memorial is simply weak. Mr. Carlyon tries to play the numbers game by explaining how 40,000 people attended the Anzac Day service this year while only 300 turned up at Federation Square to watch The King of Pop’s tribute on the big screen. In Melbourne that is.

I didn’t realise how easy it was to overlook the thousands at the Staples Centre in LA that morning and the millions around the world who were watching the broadcast in memory of Jackson. Well, maybe as Mr. Carlyon suggests, that doesn’t really mean much because they didn’t brave the cold in solemnity.

“A big media event,” he writes, “It oozed glamour.” Well, rightly so. Michael Jackson was (still is) the King of Pop, of pop culture, a celebrity, a music icon, entertainment royalty. What else was to be expected? And to those who have been criticizing Jackson’s golden coffin for being ostentatious I ask, do you not shower your loved ones with expensive gifts because you think they deserve it? Do you not want the very best for them?

Mr. Carlyon continues on boldly, stating that “Jackson won’t be missed.” How he can claim such a thing is beyond me. Just ludicrous. Unfounded. The very fact he is writing about Jackson at all is because of the impact he made in the world and the legacy he leaves behind- his music, his talent, his uniqueness. He is already being missed, and like Elvis and The Beatles, will forever be, with their words and melodies playing in our hearts until the end of time.

Yet Mr. Carlyon does not spare a word for any of that. Perhaps he unlike most of us, has never attempted a moonwalk on the dancefloor as the DJ pumped out ‘Billie Jean.’ The music to him is of no interest. But like nasty paparazzi, Jackson’s personal life is.

“Allegations of pedophilia were not mentioned. Nor were the unanswered queries surrounding Jackson’s weirdness,” he says. How in any way would it have been appropriate to bring up such things at one’s memorial? Would you mention a friend or family member’s vices or suspicious behaviour in your eulogy at their funeral? “Oh yes, my dear uncle was a good man but I had suspected the numerous affairs he had with women and he was an avid gambler.” Yeah right Mr. Carlyon, appropriate I think not.

Also, I don’t think the public are really ‘thirsting’ for the answers, the media are. And as long as tabloids keep digging for the ‘truth,’ we will all remain intrigued because Michael Jackson was such an influential figure in pop culture across several decades. The public are curious yes, but seem to want to celebrate his life, his music and good deeds, rather than embroil themselves in the intricacies of malicious speculation. Jackson’s record sales will tell you that, as will the average person on the street deeply saddened by his sudden passing.

The plain fact is we will never know the real truth, but if any such thing should appear to reveal itself over time, I wonder, what then? Will that affect Jackson’s significant contribution to the entertainment industry? Will that take away the millions he donated to charities? Will that change the impact of his music which has inspired people to dance, sing, love and hope?

Mr. Carlyon must be the only perfect human being to live on this earth, for he has no hesitation in casting stones. Likening Jackson’s ‘weirdness’ to ‘war’ is hateful and shows no respect to an individual tormented his whole life under the scrutiny of vicious tabloids, who has recently passed.

‘Unchecked humanity,’ dear sir, is something we are all guilty of. Look at the ways we allow our young people to be perpetrators of violence, expose our children to messages of evil, ourselves often succumbing to the temporary pleasures of a superficial and material-driven world.

Yes, Michael Jackson had his flaws but the good he gave outweighs by far. What can we say we have given? Who have we helped? Who have we inspired? Sure, we can all justify ways that we have done so. But the King of Pop did more.

Thursday 25th 2009 marks an incredibly sad day in entertainment and for the world. As we mourn the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson we are given the opportunity to reflect on the delicacy of life, especially in light of celebrity.

While so far removed from this admired actress and musical genius, we all felt as though we knew them, something in their craft resonated with us somehow. And while their legacies will live on, we cannot ignore the certain emptiness which presents itself in their passing.

As fan tributes flow and media coverage overwhelms for the ‘King of Pop’ especially, I cannot help but wonder whether or not we as a society play a part in such tragedies and how we should really take more responsibility for the way we treat others.

Michael Jackson, like Elvis, was idolized by people all over the world for his incredible talent when in fact was a deeply tortured soul. The media, paparazzi were so quick to bring him down as they were to lift him up. His music inspired but he was often ridiculed and condemned for his strange ways as if the critics themselves weren’t flawed.

Michael’s exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993 allowed the pop icon to respond to those rumours that began to taint his reputation and frequently drew attention away from his amazing music career. “If you hear a lie often enough, you believe it,” he told Oprah as he defended himself against media speculations about that oxygen case and controversies surrounding the colour of his skin.

Then of course came those child molestation charges, the dangling of baby ‘blanket’ over a balcony and other bizarre acts that created the ‘Wacko Jacko’ character. Surely, such behaviour had to be provoked by something that to us is unexplainable. The line between sanity and madness is very faint and we are all players in the game. To be Jekyll and Hyde-esque for a moment, we must try to understand what leads us to do things, good or bad, and how we should steer each other in the good direction. In the case of the ‘famous,’ tabloid media are largely to blame, and in turn, so are we who succumb to those filthy pages (and screens) of gossip and scandal, perhaps to feel better about our own lives, knowing that those who we sometimes envy are actually worse off than we are. For the paparazzi, it’s a monetary gain, thriving on our curiosity and intrigue in celebrity by ruthlessly divulging private details about normal people who are simply in the spotlight because of their extraordinary talents. (Okay, so not all are, but I won’t bother wasting my time writing about those with nothing to offer but their apparent good looks and superficiality).

“I used to always cry from loneliness. Since I was eight or nine,” Jackson told Oprah, the Talk Show Queen discovering the Pop King’s loss of childhood, teenage troubles and other personal battles off-stage. Knowing this about him, or anybody, breeds empathy.

The thing is, we will never know the real truth about this man whose on-stage persona was miles away from the eccentric individual who lived as a recluse. It is just too easy to judge and slander and unfortunately it is in death that we realize and regret the negative things we’ve said or thought about the person. I fear the same fate for Britney Spears.

By now, we should all be intelligent enough to recognize that fame is not all it’s made out to be in its glamorous sense, and that the ‘famous’ are constantly subject to scrutiny. We are the ones who put them there, often to knock them down. ‘We,’ inclusive of all- fans, record producers, executives, media, family, friends, admirers, haters etc, etc. are contributors to the pressure placed on those in the public eye. In our fascination, we cross ethical borderlines, shunning a person’s right to privacy and respect for our own gratification. No doubt, promoters are now stressed over retracting plans for Jackson’s comeback tour and refunding the 85 million dollars to ticketholders.

But for fans, the reality of this loss is what needs to be dealt with first and foremost. The shock and disbelief at the passing of someone who seemed immortal will surely be expressed through media coverage for many weeks to come.

It is a sad irony that a man who brought and continues to bring joy to so many, was himself a lonely human being who missed out on a normal life and was laden in controversy. But perhaps we shouldn’t wallow in mourning and rather celebrate his life. Perhaps it was his time, his destiny that he be relieved from the chaos of this crazy world.

For Farrah and Michael, “the final curtain” has closed on their physical presence but will always and forever be open for us to reminisce upon, as we watch, listen, sing and dance along. Their contributions to art, music, film, television and the entertainment industry will never be forgotten as will their infamous faces and fashions live on throughout the history of trend-setting in certain eras.

We’ll ‘remember the time’ they ‘thrilled’ us with golden fly-away hair and ‘angelic’ smiles; ‘bad’-ass music videos and moonwalks. Life is not without death and in death there is life, the present- the gift. May we never take it for granted.

Filter through Jason Mraz’ Conversation Station and you will be encouraged to practice kindness, forgiveness and gratitude. We need healing. And then we can heal the world.

The past few days have seen me chair-ridden, glaring into the computer screen, multi-tasking between various projects, getting distracted by Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and occasionally getting up for food and the thing you do after you’ve had too much to drink. (Go to the bathroom that is, not puke).

Hence I look forward to my little outing tomorrow, having brunch/lunch (possibly both) with a friend who makes me laugh until I cry and with whom I’m comfortable venting about life’s trials and tribulations. For the most part, I’m the listener, which I’m happy to be, but conversation becomes even more exciting when I have the chance to give my two cents worth. Five cents rather, I need to start giving myself more credit

I really do enjoy talking with others (albeit working in retail has caused my reluctance in engaging with certain types of people in certain circumstances) and acknowledge that conversation plays a big part in my personal-social-spiritual-psychological growth. There are people I’ve conversed with who are so fascinating, others inspiring, yet many patronizing and arrogant and quite often, you get the boring ones too. I learn from them all.

My stronger-than-normal attachment to my macbook these past couple of days has deprived me of a good dosage of face-to-face conversation, leading me to think of the physical, mental and psychosocial ramifications of being too absorbed in technology and inhuman objects. Obviously as a communications graduate, I won’t be arguing against the advantages of digital technologies and new media in enhancing ‘cyber’ conversation with people near and beyond, but it does pain me to think that people now communicate much less in person, excusable where distance is concerned, but not so for preference.

Lately I have become a major email geek, verified by my little sister’s remark the other day, “All you do is sleep, eat and email,” and it scares me to think that my abilities to converse in person are being compromised because of this electronic means of communication. Indeed I’m thankful that my writing skills are being put to use and improved upon, but I’d never ever ever want to lose my voice. Literally or metaphorically speaking.

A philosopher could argue that technology is animate and human, so could I in fact, but the pleasures I receive from this little machine I am using now could never replace the deep, genuine warmth which exudes from those I love and finds its place inside my heart. *Awww* Haha.

I am grateful for the amazing things that new technologies can help us achieve, if only we choose to use them in coherence with good values and right judgment. While I may be sitting in front of this screen square-eyed for many more times to come, I will forever cherish the moments where I can truly converse with another, face-to-face, mind-to-mind, heart-to-heart.