Elton John Dedicates song to Michael Jackson

British singer, Sir Elton John sang a special tribute song to honor the late Michael Jackson during his 10th Annual "White Tie and Tiara Ball" in England Thursday. John learned of Jackson's death in the middle of his concert gala to raise money for the Elton John Aids Foundation. He dedicated the song "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" to the pop king. Liz Hurley, Hugh Grant and Lily Allen were among the attendees at the benefit event but many guests left after hearing the news of Jackson's death.

I can't light no more of your darkness

All my pictures seem to fade to black and white

I'm growing tired and time stands still before me

Frozen here on the ladder of my life

Too late to save myself from falling

I took a chance and changed your way of life

But you misread my meaning when I met you

Closed the door and left me blinded by the light

Don't let the sun go down on me

Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see

I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free

But losing everything is like the sun going down on me

I can't find, oh the right romantic line

But see me once and see the way I feel

Don't discard me just because you think I mean you harm

But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal

Elton John is one of my very favorite singer/songwriters and although Candle in the Wind came to mind. Don't Let the Sun go down on me" is even more appropriate.

25 Years Ago: When Prince was King

"There are many kings -- King Henry VIII, King Solomon, King Tut, King James, King Kong and the three kings. But there is only one Prince."--Alicia Keys

Prince’s Purple Rain, turns 25 this summer. In the summer and fall of 1984, Prince was King. “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy” were everywhere. The title track was also quite popular. And then of course there was “Darling Nikki,” a celebration of sex and seduction that spurred Tipper Gore to form the Parents Resource Music Center. So the farcical hearings, the parental advisory stickers, all of that goes back to a single track on Purple Rain. If that’s not cultural importance, what is?
Today, Prince reportedly needs a double hip replacement surgery. He is said to be in chronic pain, and using a diamond encrusted walking stick and lotsa pain killers rather than submit to surgery. Prince is a practicing Jehovah's Witness and does not believe in the use of blood transfusions that a surgical procedure might necessitate.
The 25th Anniversary of the album Purple Rain was June 25th, the same day MJ died and the news got caught up in the sensationalism of this event. Diehard Prince fans remember and the movie debuted in July 1984.

Michael Jackson: A Candle in the Wind...

" ...and it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind; never knowing who to cling to when the the rain set in. And i would have liked to have known you, but I was just a kid. Your candle burned out long before your legend ever did."
--Sir Elton John

Michael Jackson is dead. The world is in a state of shock, grief and disbelief. I am having mixed emotions. Mostly I'm sad because we never hooked up as adults.
I wanted to do a feature story on him to show his real persona--in order to clear up any fantasy or misconception on who the world thought he was.

I wanted to be his wife when I was 12. I wanted to be a friend. I wanted to be more than just a screaming fan on the 22nd row who saw him as the "King of Pop." I had high hopes and dreams for Michael Jackson. I prayed that one day he would grow to love the "man in the mirror." I prayed that he would see himself as the world viewed him--someone who was already perfect just the way he was. I wanted to find out his world views and how he felt about Barack Obama's presidency. I wanted to know how fatherhood was treating him. I wanted him to turn 51 years old in August just as I hope to do.

Good bye Michael Jackson, tho I never knew you at all you had the grace to hold yourself while those around you fall. Even when you died the press still hounded you--and it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind...

American Writers sentenced to 12 years hard labor in North Korea

North Korea convicted two American journalists and sentenced them Monday to 12 years of hard labor. Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV media venture, were found guilty of committing a "grave crime" against North Korea and of illegally entering the country, state-run media said.The ruling came nearly three months after their arrest. North Korea's penal code calls for transferring them to prison within 10 days.
The United States, which does not have diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, was "deeply concerned" about the reported verdict. North Korean guards arrested Ling and Lee near the China-North Korean border on March 17. The two were reporting about the trafficking of North Korean women at the time of their arrest, and it's unclear if they strayed into the North or were grabbed by aggressive border guards who crossed into China. A cameraman and their local guide escaped.
Lisa Ling, sister to Laura Ling in a blog entry described "the feeling of utter isolation" she experienced during a 2005 trip to North Korea, had pleaded for leniency. She said neither journalist intended to cross into North Korea and her younger sister suffered from an ulcer requiring medical treatment, while Lee was the mother of a 4-year-old, Hannah.
The sentence is "a terrible shock for all those who have repeatedly insisted on their innocence," Reporters Without Borders said in a statement, noting that North Korea is ranked as Asia's worst country for press freedom.
As a journalist and American citizen, I am deeply saddened by this development in this unjust case of two American journalists. What is most disheartening is the fact that our country has strained diplomatic ties with North Korea thus almost guaranteeing that this situation was not handled fairly based on the individuals' criminal intent, but rather as a slap in the face to Pres. Obama and the U.S. government. I fear if they had not been writing about a subject matter that showed the atrocities women and girls face all over the world, the outcomes would have been different. It is high time for the media to rally around these reporters, but even more importantly, the issue of female trafficking for sex and slavery needs to stay in the forefront where it belongs.

Obama Committed to working on World Peace

I'm proud to be an American today because we have a President who loves people and respects cultures and religious differences. At this moment President Obama is visiting Cairo, Egypt and addressing Muslim students at a University there. He just delivered a most powerful and heartfelt speech. Our President is a human being with compassion.
He began his speech with the greeting of peace--As Salaam Alaikum. He referenced the fact that the United States and Muslim countries have a history of working together since President John Adams. He made reference from the Quran, the Torah and The Bible.
It is apparent that our President is committed to peace--I am convinced of this. For your convenience I've included the ending text of his speech which shows that all of us are aiming for the same target--Muslims, Christians and Jews alike--we all want peace.

"This truth transcends nations and peoples, a belief that isn't new, that isn't black or white or brown, that isn't Christian or Muslim or Jew. It's a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization and that still beats in the hearts of billions around the world. It's a faith in other people. And it's what brought me here today.
We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written. The Holy Quran tells us, Mankind, we have created you male and a female. And we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.
The Talmud tells us, The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.
The Holy Bible tells us, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now that must be our work here on Earth.
Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you."

Sitting on Opinions...

It's been a minute since I voiced any of my thoughts. Not sure why--might be a phase I'm traveling through. I'm tryna get reacquainted with myself, I guess. At any rate I can't blame it on writer's block because Im not convinced that's a real ailment...lol

Sometimes I crack myself up!