"We Had Him" Dr. Maya Angelou's poem for Michael Jackson

Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing

Now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind

Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace

Sing our songs among the stars and and walk our dances across the face of the moon

In the instant we learn that Michael is gone we know nothing

No clocks can tell our time and no oceans can rush our tides

With the abrupt absence of our treasure

Though we our many, each of us is achingly alone

Piercingly alone

Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him

He came to us from the Creator, trailing creativity in abundance

Despite the anguish of life he was sheathed in mother love and family love and survived and did not more than that

He thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style

We had him

Whether we knew who he was or did not know, he was our’s and we were his

We had him

Beautiful, delighting our eyes

He raked his hat slant over his brow and took a pose on his toes for all of us and we laughed and stomped our feet for him

We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing

He gave us all he had been given

Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana’s Blackstar Square, in Johannesburg, in Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama and Birmingham England, we are missing Michael Jackson

But we do know that we had him

And we are the world.

"Q" Re-records "We Are the World" for Haiti relief

Master musician, Quincy Jones, 76 year-old music legend says musicians are gathering in L.A. to record the 2010 version of "We Are the World." The proceeds will benefit Yele--a not-for-profit headed by Wyclef Jean, to help in Haitian earthquake survivor relief.
How fitting to re-release the Grammy Award winning song which was written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson 25 years later to benefit earthquake survivors. I hope some of the original artists perform in the recording.
Attaboy, Q!

Lee's Resolution for King of Pop thumbs down by Pelosi

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi went thumbs down on Thursday to a resolution honoring Michael Jackson because the symbolic measure could raise "contrary views" about the pop star's life. Michael Jackson was acquitted in 2005 of charges that he molested a 13 year old boy. Those allegations along with the admission that children slept in his bed at his home but nothing sexual occurred, have led some members not to support the resolution.

Lawmakers are free to use House speeches "to express their sympathy or their praise any time that they wish," said Pelosi, D-Calif. "I don't think it's necessary for us to have a resolution."

A resolution sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, cites some of the singer's charitable acts and proclaims him an American legend, musical icon and world humanitarian.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who posted a video on YouTube calling Michael Jackson a "pervert" and a "pedophile," has pledged to do all he could to block the resolution.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a moment of silence in the House after Jackson died June 25, some lawmakers walked out of the chamber.

Jackson Lee has pledged that the resolution, now before the House Foreign Affairs Committee where she is a member, would come to the full House for debate. Jackson Lee's resolution only had one co-sponsor, Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., and was not endorsed by other black caucus members.

From the stage at Jackson's memorial Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Jackson Lee hoisted a framed copy of the resolution.

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...