Let the man RIP. No need for negativity. Take that to another blog, maybe a music one or something. Answer the question, favorite music video and move on. You CAN respect someones work, and accomplishments, but not respect them as a person or human being. Here's a nice analogy. I respect the work and accomplishments of Kobe Bryant, but can not stand him as a person.
I'm an '85 baby, Michael was the man growing up. His music is timeless. You can go to any part of the world and turn on one of his hits, and Everybody will start dancing and trying to moonwalk. Guy is a LEGEND, PERIOD.
Favorite video is definitely SMOOTH CRIMINAL!
Unfortunately the negativity is something that will consistently come up, because people continue to have a warped perception of the man based on hearsay instead of actual facts. It was a lot easier to sell magazines and get people to tune into TV shows when they were bashing the most famous man alive. Nobody wanted to hear about how all of those allegations were a simple case of extortion. And still nobody wants to hear about it. Which is sad. Most people I link that article to simply dismiss it as "conspiracy theory" before even reading a word of it. It's a widely acknowledged piece that has been passed around for years. Nobody has ever disputed the authenticity of the content within that article. The perpetual ignorance is what has driven Michael Jackson fans into hysterics for years. People just assume they are "crazy".
So my whole thing is... it's something that really shouldn't be ignored anymore. Word-of-mouth speculation is that Jackson's death had to do with drugs. Again, not sure how much we can buy "word-of-mouth" speculation, but assuming this is true... that means that the man spent the last 20 years addicted to pain killers, because a large percentage of the world believed he was a pedophile. And because of that, I think those who are clearly uneducated on the situation maybe owe it to the man to enlighten themselves now that their ignorance essentially lead to his downfall and ultimate death.
http://www.buttonmonkey.com/misc/maryfischer.html That article explains the 1993 case.
The only other case of relevance is 2005. And I can sum that up very simply.
#1 The woman had been in and out of mental institutions.
#2 She had attempted to extort money from Jay Leno and George Lopez in the past
#3 Her family once shoplifted from JC Penny... and she then sued them for 3 million claiming security guards beat up her family (no evidence presented)... it was settled for 130k...
#4 After the "living with michael jackson documentary aired", the entire world was looking at Jackson under a microscope. He made the infamous claim that he didn't mind "sharing a bed with a kid". Gloria Allred, Diane Diamond and Nancy Grace called for his head. A movement was in place to take his own children away. In response, Jackson distanced himself from the boy and her mother.
#5 the mother responds by going to the exact same lawyer, the exact same psychiatrist and the exact same DA that handled the 1993 case. Obviously she was aware of the results of that situation.
#6 The "time frame" of alleged molestation was that it STARTED a week after that documentary aired... at the height of the anti-Jackson movement. Think about that ...
#7 The jurors literally laughed at some of her comments on the witness stand
#8 She also had claimed that her family was being held captive in the Neverland Ranch. When presented with receipts from the alleged "captive" time period showing that she and the family had been going on massive shopping sprees using Michael's credit card to various restaurants and stores (Nordstrom, Outback Steak House, Tiffany, Gucci... here is a receipt for a full body wax) the woman snapped, "IT WAS NOT A BODY WAX!! IT WAS A LEG WAX!!" and then accused them of doctoring the receipt....
Basically anyone who followed that 2005 trial outside of just what they saw on the front of magazine covers never had a doubt that it would result in a "not guilty" verdict. The media might have presented the outcome as "shocking", but again... anyone who did a lick of research into what was actually going on realized that case should have (and probably would have in any other district not involving Tom Sneddon) been thrown out immediately.
My hope is that the uneducated folks can read up on the reality of his life and appreciate his talents without that hovering cloud. Had the internet existed back in 1993 we'd collectively probably already be aware of this stuff. So now that it ultimately lead to his death, I'll do my part to spread it.
PS... I'm all for staying on topic. But if people keep bringing up the fraudulent molestation claims, I feel like I owe it to the man to respond each time. I'm willing to debate with someone who had read the facts. But it's pretty much impossible for anyone to still think he molested kids after familiarizing themselves with the actual events. Every Jackson-hater I've coaxed into reading about it has come away with the same impression. "Wow... I didn't know that"