30 Years Later: Michael's Magic Moment

CLEVELAND - It was arguably the coming-out party for the world's most electrifying performer. A magical moment so breathtaking and mind-blowing that words still don't do a single bit of justice to describe the insane brilliance of that evening.

Michael Jackson became an entertainment legend.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the NBC broadcast of Jackson's seminal solo performance of his then brand new song, "Billie Jean." The historic moment, filmed seven weeks earlier on March 25th at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium was the crown jewel of the television special, "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever." This was a musical showcase of numerous big stars and groups that brought the venerable Motown Records to enormous success during the 1960's and '70's. MJ himself became an international star when he and his four brothers signed to the label in 1968 as The Jackson 5.

What the world saw the night of May 16, 1983 on television was a clear cut superstar musician morphing fully and stunningly into an international icon of epic proportions. Jackson, less than three and a half months shy of his 25th birthday unleashed, for the first time ever, his soon-to-be signature dance step "the moonwalk" as well as the full scope of, what would become his indelible and unique style.

Michael Jackson took to the stage that evening clad in a black, glittery jacket with a black, rhinestone encrusted shirt underneath. His cropped, black pants and black loafers showcased rhinestone adorned socks. But the accessory that garnered the most attention was the single, white sparkly glove he wore. This entire ensemble, along with his carefully coiffed Jheri-curled hair, became, not only his trademark look for the next two years, but a cultural phenomenon as well.

After a spirited Jackson 5 medley with his brothers (reunited musically for the first time in eight years), Michael paced the stage alone while speaking to the audience. He remarked that he liked the old J5 songs
"a lot," but he especially likes "the new songs."

This is when he grabbed a black fedora, pulled it down over his head and struck a pose while the opening bassline of "Billie Jean" filled the arena. From there, MJ used the next five minutes to exhibit the unbelievable range of his showmanship and artistry. His dancing was both pristine and gravity-defying. His subtle and rhythmic flourishes accented his carefully polished stage presence which was obviously heavily influenced by some of the great figures in the history of show business.

Jackson had been reluctant to perform on this show for Motown. At the time, his public reputation and success was in a constant state of expansion. With his six month old album Thriller steadily steamrolling the music charts and breaking sales records, he was the toast of the music industry and, thanks to MTV, a super popular video star. The last thing he needed was to perform on a show with a bunch of has-beens and fading stars who were completely beneath him. Alas, Motown founder Berry Gordy persuaded MJ, now an artist for Epic Records to join his brothers and perform on the show.

After all, how could they not have the biggest star in the world (who started with Motown) on their show?

Jackson agreed on the condition that he be allowed to have a solo spot to perform his non-Motown song (and the then #1 single in the U.S.) "Billie Jean." He later earned control over the final edit of his performance so that his amazing dance moves would be seen at every proper angle by television viewers to showcase it in the best light possible.

During Michael's show-stopping solo, he lip synched the "Billie Jean" lyrics so that he could perfectly deliver his dancing and the song in a neat package. When the song ended and he closed his eyes and raised his hand to punctuate the conclusion, the entire industry crowd was on its feet in grand applause. MJ took a bow and left the stage, not realizing that he had just crafted the most important moment of his career. To those watching at home, his blinding qualities as a superstar switched to overdrive and he became a global obsession.

In the aftermath, the Thriller album once again experienced a great spike in sales as did sales of Jackson-themed items. From replica jackets and sparkly gloves, to Jheri-curled hair and cropped pants, imitating Michael Jackson was the new #1 cool thing to do throughout the summer of 1983 and beyond. MJ himself received numerous accolades and effusive praise from some of the greats of the industry, many of whom he grew up studying and idolizing.

I will never forget that spectacular moment in '83 when the man known as Michael Joseph Jackson became a supernova of the highest order.

He is simply the best forever.

27 Years Ago Today: Michael Jackson Transcends Pop Culture

CLEVELAND - If there was a single moment that propelled Michael Jackson to the very top of the music industry, American pop culture and showcased his stunning repertoire of talent, style and polish, it was without a doubt the evening that Motown Records broadcast their 25th anniversary special on NBC television.

The night belonged to him, hands down.

It was 27 years ago today that Michael ascended to the highest peak of his stunning brilliance while firing on all cylinders. His historic performance of his new song "Billie Jean" remains a seminal moment in pop culture history and more than anything else illustrated his trademark iconography in perfect detail. The television special, entitled "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever" featured numerous stars from the landmark record label's past. From Smokey Robinson to Diana Ross and the Supremes, it was a who's who of black musical dominance of the 1960's and '70's. The Jackson 5, who had joined the label in 1968 as a group of teens and pre-teens were slated to perform but Michael was initially against it.

At the time of the show's taping in March 1983, Michael Jackson was fast becoming the pre-eminent figure in music by a mile. His four-month old album Thriller was just starting to set shocking sales records and his music video brilliance had only a month prior become a public obsession. In short, Michael was a huge deal times a thousand. Meanwhile, as his luminosity grew in intensity, his brothers seemed more and more irrelevant. Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr. pleaded with MJ to join his brothers on stage to celebrate the 25th anniversary and Michael agreed on the condition that he be allowed to perform the aforementioned "Billie Jean."

Of course, Gordy agreed.

Evidence of Michael's leverage at the time was obvious in that Gordy allowed the new song on the show in spite of the fact that it was the only non-Motown song in the show. Michael also requested full control over the camera angles used during his solo because he wanted audiences at home to experience it the way he saw fit.

Very shrewd.

The performance itself was a sight to behold. First off, MJ segued from a Jackson 5 medley with his brothers into the solo by placing a fedora atop his head, brim tilted down over his eyes while holding it there and striking a pose. The "Billie Jean" rhythm filled the arena and Michael began thrusting his hips, kicking his leg and pirouetting while executing precision footwork. He tossed his fedora into the crowd, mimed an ultra-cool hair comb then slyly grabbed the microphone and went into the song's first verse. The entire time, his footwork is mesmerizing as he keeps them moving and sliding while his upper body rocks to the groove.

The entire moment feels like history is being made and that Michael Jackson is completely unassailable in the field of song and dance. His stage presence is so phenomenally jaw-dropping that his breathtaking music videos almost seem like a rip-off by comparison. Michael's fashion sense jumps out at you during his masterful performance as well. He sports Black America's latest fad hairstyle; the Jheri-curl. But Michael's isn't like anyone else's. His curl has a few strands that hang down over his forehead and he has "baby hair" along his sideburns. He's five months from his 25th birthday at the time of filming and he has a handsome, brown skin toned face.

He is attired in a very sparkly, rhinestone adorned black shirt and black sequined jacket. He has basic black pants on that are cropped at the ankles to showcase very sparkly rhinestone socks inside his black penny loafers. One white rhinestone glove is worn on his right hand and the entire costume immediately becomes one of his most indelible, signature looks. It all made him look like a larger-than-life entertainer with such colossal talent that everyone else in the industry was essentially playing for second place.

Which he was.

Of course, this legendary performance was the very first time that Michael unveiled his soon-to-be-trademark dancestep "the moonwalk," which he did twice during the song. It was also the first time his single white glove went public. This performance represented him in all his splendor and rising fast to the peak of his powers. The following day after the show, Michael was praised and fawned over by older entertainers that he grew up idolizing as well as millions of fans who immediately flooded stores to get their MJ gear.

Needless to say, this iconic performance fueled the Thriller album into selling unthinkable numbers of copies. It also signaled the unofficial beginning of "Michaelmania" which lasted for another year and a half. He became a cultural obsession. His music was played repeatedly everywhere while replicas of his jackets, shades and glove became instant sellouts. MJ posters and pins were ubiquitous and endless magazine space was dedicated to him.

Those reasons are exactly why I love 1983 so much and look back on that time with great fondness. The world will never forget Michael Jackson, and "Motown 25" is one of the biggest reasons why.

Without question.

Joe Jackson Needs To Be Assassinated

CLEVELAND - First of all, I salute Joe Jackson for keeping his young sons focused and dedicated enough to become international superstars in the early 1970's.

Other than that, he's a total jerk.

Jackson, the 79-year old father of pop icons Michael and Janet, as well as the other seven children has been a sketchy figure for decades. But in the aftermath of Michael Jackson's shocking death last month, he's been downright abominable. His first knuckle headed moment occurred at the BET awards on June 28, just three days after his son died. The elder Jackson seemed absolutely indifferent to the fact of his son's untimely departure. In fact, he spent more time (and was clearly more interested) in promoting his new record label. Not a tear was shed by he, and during that show's lengthy tribute to Michael, he sat stoically in the audience with Rev. Al Sharpton.

The following day, Jackson tried to defend himself against the criticism he was suddenly receiving for his seemingly lack of compassion and self-serving attitude, and ended up making matters worse. He has given one undigestible interview after another in recent weeks and continues to come off like a devilish monster that never truly cared about Michael.

Let's get rid of this clown.

Last night, Jackson appeared on Larry King Live and again, was painful to watch. His voice, when talking about Michael sounded very insincere and his body language suggests that, to him, losing his son was nothing more than a financial loss. Of course, Joe says the "right" things and never actually incriminates himself. Michael has long accused his father of abusing him as a child, but Joe Jackson continues to blatantly deny anything remotely resembling abuse of his sons. He even went so far last night as to proclaim that "Michael was raised properly" and that he "never made any mistakes in raising him."

Does this guy even believe his own garbage?

True, Joe transformed his five oldest boys into the Jackson 5 in the mid-1960's which led to their enormous popularity and dominance of Motown Records in the next few years, but his tactics were always questionable. He was a known adulterer during his boys' meteoric rise to fame and was, by all accounts except his own, a strict disciplinarian. By the time Michael evolved into an unstoppable, enormously popular solo artist in the early 1980's, he was gaining more and more independence and fired Joe as his manager. Daughter Janet did the same thing a few years later, which may have, in the case of Michael, turned Joe sour in his feelings towards his son.

In two high-profile interviews (with Oprah Winfrey in 1993 and Martin Bashir in 2003), Michael detailed his father's shameless abuse and how it also came in the form of verbal insults that led to his self-consciousness about his appearance. It is safe to say that Michael's rapid and dramatic change in appearance can be heavily attributed to Joe. During the King interview last night, Jackson painted himself as the "good guy" who always had Michael's best interests at heart.

Ironically, he was clueless when King asked the current whereabouts of Michael's body as well as what the families' private autopsy revealed. He denied wanting to transform Michael's three children into performers and seemed a bit annoyed at those questions as well as questions about Michael leaving him out of his will.

I found it funny that Joe continuously mentioned that he wasn't able to get close to his son due to the "securities that barred [him] away" from Michael. He seemed unaware that this was because Michael truly didn't want to be around him!

Joe Jackson is an illiterate speaking, disingenuous, self-serving tyrant that deserves to be assassinated. He's arrogant, deceitful and wildly out of touch. Yes, he brought Michael and the boys to the world. But he also destroyed his son Michael and scarred him for life.

Joe Jackson -- damn you to hell!

Michael's Solo Debut Was An Underrated Treasure

CLEVELAND - After more than two years of dominating the spotlight as the lead vocalist for the Jackson 5, a 13-year old Michael Jackson launched a solo career that would eventually inspire millions and change music forever.

That's what makes his humble solo debut so amazing.

Got To Be There was released in early 1972 and featured the hits "Rockin' Robin,'" the title track "Got To Be There" and my personal favorite, "Ain't No Sunshine," Michael's incredible cover of the Bill Withers classic. In the final estimation, the album as a whole was considered a mild success, but Michael's vocal ability and versatility were as usual critically acclaimed.

Because of what Michael's career became during a decade of historic dominance in the 1980's, it is easy to sell this debut short by comparison. But young Michael, under the precise tutelage of Berry Gordy and his Motown Records staff crafted an outstanding debut that showcased the awesome raw talent of an international star on the rise.

And he was just 13.

Michael's Groundbreaking Debut: Pure Genius

CLEVELAND - Call it denial if you want, but the horrific pain of losing Michael Jackson a few days ago has caused me to desperately seek solace and refuge from unprecedented grief.

In other words, I'm trying to focus on the great times that Michael gave the world.

His first major entrance into our world took place in 1969, when he and his four older brothers (who were newly signed to Motown Records) appeared as The Jackson 5 on the then-popular Ed Sullivan Show. Watching Michael, who at the time was just 11 years old, is a real treat. His command of the microphone and entire stage is palpable and his voice is pure heaven.

The brothers performed "I Want You Back" with Michael actually being the embodiment of some of the song's lyrics; he was the "pretty face that stands out in the crowd." A born showman and the ultimate performer, Michael's gifts during this national introduction of he and his brothers are obvious and substantial.

Talk about a prodigy.