Jackson Comes Out of Hiding

CLEVELAND - Everyone who has ever met me knows that I am an enormous Michael Jackson fan. Obviously, my eyes lit up yesterday when the entertainment icon took to the podium for a very brief announcement.

He's about to tour again.

That's right. Jackson, 50 is preparing to wow his legion of fans with his first stage show in eight years. Problem for us U.S. fans is that the performances, 10 in all will take place at the famed O2 arena in London beginning in July.

"This is it," said Jackson amid the incessant screams and cheers of his fans. "and when I say this is it, I mean this is it." Even still, he did leave the door open for the possibility of concerts at other venues, presumably contingent on the success of the London dates.

Jackson's historic career in music has been very well documented. From his start as a child in the 1960's (as the lead singer of The Jackson 5) through his seminal solo works in the '80's and '90's, he has attained immortality in the music industry. However, during the past 16 years, his public image has endured one smackdown after another. Artistically, he has released just one album of all new material in the past 18 years; 2001's Invincible which was generally panned.

Punctuating his long stints of inactivity has been his serious legal troubles. His saving grace the past 15 years or so has been his larger-than-life accomplishments during his prime period of the 1980's. Last year, the iconic Thriller album was celebrated for hitting its 25th anniversary.

In spite of Jackson's stunning and rapid downward spiral of productivity and popularity, I am still a die-hard fan of his. I still get chills when the man makes a public appearance, something that has been almost non-existent since his June 13, 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges.

Until yesterday.

Michael Jackson will forever be music royalty; a pioneering giant of epic proportions who has simply proven to be flawed and conflicted, just like every other person on the planet. He just happens to have more issues than the average person.

He has more talent and success than us too.