Thu., Jul. 9, 2009 12:19 PM PDT by Joal Ryan
It's been said that Michael Jackson is more popular dead than alive. Now it's been demonstrated that it'd be virtually impossible for the entertainer to be less popular dead than he was alive.
According to Q Scores, the company that polls the public on celebrities' likability, along with their recognizability, Jackson was rating just a 9 on the favorable scale in the most recent survey before his June 25 death.
"On the scale of 0-100, 9 is pretty low," Henry Schafer, executive vice president of Marketing Evaluations, which runs Q Scores, told E! News today.
Stars with similar paltry scores, per Schafer: Tori Spelling, David Beckham and Lindsay Lohan.
Jackson's negative Q Score, meanwhile, was 67—an "extremely high" number, per Schafer, that put the entertainer up, or down, there with polarizing figures such as Don Imus, Rosie O'Donnell and the Kobe Bryant of 2003-2004, circa his (ultimately dismissed) sexual-assault charge.
The good news for Jackson's estate, if not his legacy, is that death definitely does become stars.
Per Q Scores, Elvis Presley's favorable rating jumped 36 percent after his 1977 death, while his unfavorable rating fell 50 percent. Johnny Cash's favorable number zoomed 74 percent after his 2003 passing; his unfavorable dropped 50 percent.
Schafer predicted that in the next Dead Q survey Jackson's positive rating would double from 9 to 18, an average score for a celebrity, and nowhere near Presley's 34, but still "a really significant jump," according to the exec.
Similarly, Schafer predicted Jackson's negative rating would drop a "very significant" 25-30 percent.
That next Dead Q poll, by the way, isn't due to be conducted until late September—a time lag that suits the market-research firm just fine and, according to the market-research firm, should suit Jackson just fine, too.
"Especially in a case like Michael Jackson, we don't want an immediate emotional reaction," Schafer said. "Michael Jackson will definitely at some point start to balance out in terms of positive and negative in the next few years."
source
Yes, Michael now that he is dead, should really go up...
Showing posts with label king of pop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label king of pop. Show all posts
Saturday, July 11, 2009
A Michael Jackson burial site remains a mystery for now
By Scott Collins and Susan King
July 11, 2009
This summer at Dearly Departed Tours, business has never been better -- and that was before Michael Jackson's sudden death. In the days since, the company that drives tour buses to spots where celebrities have met their end has added a stop at the rented Holmby Hills mansion where the pop star collapsed.
People are so fascinated with Hollywood's history of death and crime that Dearly Departed has added 100 tours a month compared with a year ago, said owner Scott Michaels. His clientele have always wanted to see where the Manson family murders took place, where Marilyn Monroe lived. These days, Michaels said, the first thing people ask about is the Jackson site.
That leads to the inevitable speculation about the final disposition of his remains, so far shrouded in mystery.
"If he's buried somewhere where the public has access to it, it's going to be Graceland West," Michaels said.
The real Graceland, Elvis Presley's world-famous mansion, attracts 600,000 visitors annually and is one of the top home tours in the country. A "VIP tour" that includes a swing past Presley's grave costs $69 per adult.
Assuming Jackson's body ends up in a tomb that fans can find, the spot could become a shrine for the ages, experts in celebrity worship say, akin to Graceland or Doors frontman Jim Morrison's grave in Paris, a mecca for rock pilgrims, a magnet for makeshift memorials and an eternal nuisance to French authorities.
Wonder why there's no pilgrimage to the tombs of rock stars John Lennon and Kurt Cobain? Their families had their remains cremated, with ashes either scattered or given to a survivor, leaving no shrine for posterity, no scene for the hordes.
On the other hand, visit Bob Marley's mausoleum in Jamaica, said to be sacred to Rastafarians, and you can buy souvenirs of the late reggae star at the adjoining tourist center.
Visitors steadily trek to Monroe's grave in Westwood -- and for those who can't make the trip, there are video tours on YouTube.
Soon after news of Jackson's collapse June 25, mourners and looky-loos jammed the street outside his home. Michaels waited five or six days to bus in customers, after "the mental people started leaving."
Some might object to such a description of celebrity death-worshipers, the kind of devotees who imbue these grave sites with the hushed reverence accorded saints' tombs. But even academic research suggests that celebrity death fixation can get a little, well, crazy.
In a recent study ("Elvis: Dead and Loving It -- the Influence of Attraction, Nostalgia, and Risk in Dead Celebrity Attitude Formation"), four researchers at the University of Memphis noted that "celebrity worship is often associated with poor mental health, such as social dysfunction, depression, and anxiety" as well as a "lack of education."
Yet ours is a celebrity-obsessed culture, and even for the sane among us, that obsession does not necessarily end with a celebrity's death. Before Jackson's passing, the university researchers polled 161 college students and discovered the most popular dead celebrity among the students was Chris Farley, followed by Heath Ledger, Bernie Mac, Marley, Tupac Shakur and Presley. Monroe was No. 9; Morrison did not make the list at all.
"There's a thread running there," USC professor Leo Braudy, who has extensively studied celebrity culture, said of the roster.
Braudy argues that show business is a "secular religion," and thus certain dead celebrities come to be seen as "secular martyrs" worthy of elaborate displays of devotion.
"It's someone who's committed suicide or has died before his time," he said. "Someone cut off, a person of lost potential." Thus the posthumous cults for Cobain, Lennon and James Dean, all of whom died unexpectedly (and violently) and who, perhaps as a consequence, ranked high in the dead-celebrities survey.
The phenomenon of the celebrity martyr, Braudy said, can be traced to silent-movie star Rudolph Valentino, whose 1926 death after an appendicitis operation sparked a riot at the New York funeral home where the service was held.
But fame is relative and memories can be short. Today, Valentino's crypt in the Hollywood Forever cemetery attracts scant attention beyond film buffs. On a recent visit, the crypt was bedecked with vases of dead flowers. Three tourists snapped a picture but then quickly wheeled away to look at the crypt for actor Peter Finch.
As Braudy said, "Once the generation passes that had an emotional connection" to the dead celebrity, the worship phenomenon is "more of a historical interest."
But as long as a VIP's memory remains fresh, his or her grave site can become a major hassle for the living.
source
To me what is important is that michael jackson should be buried.
July 11, 2009
This summer at Dearly Departed Tours, business has never been better -- and that was before Michael Jackson's sudden death. In the days since, the company that drives tour buses to spots where celebrities have met their end has added a stop at the rented Holmby Hills mansion where the pop star collapsed.
People are so fascinated with Hollywood's history of death and crime that Dearly Departed has added 100 tours a month compared with a year ago, said owner Scott Michaels. His clientele have always wanted to see where the Manson family murders took place, where Marilyn Monroe lived. These days, Michaels said, the first thing people ask about is the Jackson site.
That leads to the inevitable speculation about the final disposition of his remains, so far shrouded in mystery.
"If he's buried somewhere where the public has access to it, it's going to be Graceland West," Michaels said.
The real Graceland, Elvis Presley's world-famous mansion, attracts 600,000 visitors annually and is one of the top home tours in the country. A "VIP tour" that includes a swing past Presley's grave costs $69 per adult.
Assuming Jackson's body ends up in a tomb that fans can find, the spot could become a shrine for the ages, experts in celebrity worship say, akin to Graceland or Doors frontman Jim Morrison's grave in Paris, a mecca for rock pilgrims, a magnet for makeshift memorials and an eternal nuisance to French authorities.
Wonder why there's no pilgrimage to the tombs of rock stars John Lennon and Kurt Cobain? Their families had their remains cremated, with ashes either scattered or given to a survivor, leaving no shrine for posterity, no scene for the hordes.
On the other hand, visit Bob Marley's mausoleum in Jamaica, said to be sacred to Rastafarians, and you can buy souvenirs of the late reggae star at the adjoining tourist center.
Visitors steadily trek to Monroe's grave in Westwood -- and for those who can't make the trip, there are video tours on YouTube.
Soon after news of Jackson's collapse June 25, mourners and looky-loos jammed the street outside his home. Michaels waited five or six days to bus in customers, after "the mental people started leaving."
Some might object to such a description of celebrity death-worshipers, the kind of devotees who imbue these grave sites with the hushed reverence accorded saints' tombs. But even academic research suggests that celebrity death fixation can get a little, well, crazy.
In a recent study ("Elvis: Dead and Loving It -- the Influence of Attraction, Nostalgia, and Risk in Dead Celebrity Attitude Formation"), four researchers at the University of Memphis noted that "celebrity worship is often associated with poor mental health, such as social dysfunction, depression, and anxiety" as well as a "lack of education."
Yet ours is a celebrity-obsessed culture, and even for the sane among us, that obsession does not necessarily end with a celebrity's death. Before Jackson's passing, the university researchers polled 161 college students and discovered the most popular dead celebrity among the students was Chris Farley, followed by Heath Ledger, Bernie Mac, Marley, Tupac Shakur and Presley. Monroe was No. 9; Morrison did not make the list at all.
"There's a thread running there," USC professor Leo Braudy, who has extensively studied celebrity culture, said of the roster.
Braudy argues that show business is a "secular religion," and thus certain dead celebrities come to be seen as "secular martyrs" worthy of elaborate displays of devotion.
"It's someone who's committed suicide or has died before his time," he said. "Someone cut off, a person of lost potential." Thus the posthumous cults for Cobain, Lennon and James Dean, all of whom died unexpectedly (and violently) and who, perhaps as a consequence, ranked high in the dead-celebrities survey.
The phenomenon of the celebrity martyr, Braudy said, can be traced to silent-movie star Rudolph Valentino, whose 1926 death after an appendicitis operation sparked a riot at the New York funeral home where the service was held.
But fame is relative and memories can be short. Today, Valentino's crypt in the Hollywood Forever cemetery attracts scant attention beyond film buffs. On a recent visit, the crypt was bedecked with vases of dead flowers. Three tourists snapped a picture but then quickly wheeled away to look at the crypt for actor Peter Finch.
As Braudy said, "Once the generation passes that had an emotional connection" to the dead celebrity, the worship phenomenon is "more of a historical interest."
But as long as a VIP's memory remains fresh, his or her grave site can become a major hassle for the living.
source
To me what is important is that michael jackson should be buried.
INSIDE STORY: Michael Jackson's Plastic Surgery By Charlotte Triggs
For years, fans looked on as Michael Jackson radically transformed his appearance. But despite his obviously altered look, the singer only ever admitted to two nose jobs – and blamed his progressively paler skin on the condition vitiligo.
In fact, says a Los Angeles surgeon who shared a practice with one of Jackson's surgeons, the King of Pop – who died of cardiac arrest June 25 – was a frequent customer.
"He had multiple surgeries," says Dr. Wallace Goodstein, who worked beside Jackson's surgeon in the 1990s. "He came in approximately every two months. It was about 10 to 12 surgeries in two years, while I was there."
As for the specifics, says Goodstein, Jackson "had multiple nose jobs, cheek implants and he had a cleft put in his chin. He had eyelid surgery ... You name it he had it." Goodstein also opines that Jackson underwent operations that he never should have: "He had so many things that were inappropriate."
Clandestine Visits
Like many patients, Jackson sought to hide his cosmetic surgery from the public, says another source with knowledge of the situation. "Michael Jackson always wanted to do these operations in a clandestine manner," says the source. "They were done in the evening when personnel had to come in so no one else in the office could see him going in or out."
Eventually, the surgeries took a toll on his face. "His nose became so small because he was operated on repeatedly," says the source. "He has barely anything left for a nose."
Reversing the Procedures
Jackson eventually turned to dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein for a solution. "I rebuilt it [his nose] ... using fillers," Klein revealed in a July 8 interview with Larry King. "I used hyaluronic acids, and they worked very well. It's an arduous procedure, because you don't want to put too much in. And you have to do it exactly, so you can flow the material so it's perfectly smooth."
Jackson was pleased with the results, says his dermatologist. "I'm telling you that he was beginning to look like the nose was normal again," Klein – who recently addressed rumors that he is the biological father of Jackson's children Prince, 12, and Paris, 11 – said in the TV interview. "And that's all I wanted, and [to] regain the breathing passages of his nose, because there was a total collapse of the cartilage."
Pale Skin
Klein says Jackson also relied on him to help in treating the skin condition vitiligo, which destroys pigment-producing cells and can cause patches of uneven tone. "His was bad because he began to get a totally speckled look over his body," said Klein. "[It was] all over his body, but on his face significantly [and] on his hands, which were very difficult to treat."
"You have one choice where you can use certain drugs and ultraviolet light treatments to try to make the white spots turn dark," Klein explained. However, Jackson’s vitiligo "became so severe, that the easier way is to use certain creams" – very likely hydroquinone derivatives, say other industry experts – "that will make the dark spots turn light so you can even out the pigments totally."
The treatment resulted in a uniform – albeit pale – skin tone. "That's ultimately what the decision had to be. He would have to wear heavy, heavy makeup on stage, which would be ridiculous. And he couldn't really go out in public without looking terribly peculiar."
source
I don't have much idea on this thing. It does not matter to me anyway. What is important are his songs.
In fact, says a Los Angeles surgeon who shared a practice with one of Jackson's surgeons, the King of Pop – who died of cardiac arrest June 25 – was a frequent customer.
"He had multiple surgeries," says Dr. Wallace Goodstein, who worked beside Jackson's surgeon in the 1990s. "He came in approximately every two months. It was about 10 to 12 surgeries in two years, while I was there."
As for the specifics, says Goodstein, Jackson "had multiple nose jobs, cheek implants and he had a cleft put in his chin. He had eyelid surgery ... You name it he had it." Goodstein also opines that Jackson underwent operations that he never should have: "He had so many things that were inappropriate."
Clandestine Visits
Like many patients, Jackson sought to hide his cosmetic surgery from the public, says another source with knowledge of the situation. "Michael Jackson always wanted to do these operations in a clandestine manner," says the source. "They were done in the evening when personnel had to come in so no one else in the office could see him going in or out."
Eventually, the surgeries took a toll on his face. "His nose became so small because he was operated on repeatedly," says the source. "He has barely anything left for a nose."
Reversing the Procedures
Jackson eventually turned to dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein for a solution. "I rebuilt it [his nose] ... using fillers," Klein revealed in a July 8 interview with Larry King. "I used hyaluronic acids, and they worked very well. It's an arduous procedure, because you don't want to put too much in. And you have to do it exactly, so you can flow the material so it's perfectly smooth."
Jackson was pleased with the results, says his dermatologist. "I'm telling you that he was beginning to look like the nose was normal again," Klein – who recently addressed rumors that he is the biological father of Jackson's children Prince, 12, and Paris, 11 – said in the TV interview. "And that's all I wanted, and [to] regain the breathing passages of his nose, because there was a total collapse of the cartilage."
Pale Skin
Klein says Jackson also relied on him to help in treating the skin condition vitiligo, which destroys pigment-producing cells and can cause patches of uneven tone. "His was bad because he began to get a totally speckled look over his body," said Klein. "[It was] all over his body, but on his face significantly [and] on his hands, which were very difficult to treat."
"You have one choice where you can use certain drugs and ultraviolet light treatments to try to make the white spots turn dark," Klein explained. However, Jackson’s vitiligo "became so severe, that the easier way is to use certain creams" – very likely hydroquinone derivatives, say other industry experts – "that will make the dark spots turn light so you can even out the pigments totally."
The treatment resulted in a uniform – albeit pale – skin tone. "That's ultimately what the decision had to be. He would have to wear heavy, heavy makeup on stage, which would be ridiculous. And he couldn't really go out in public without looking terribly peculiar."
source
I don't have much idea on this thing. It does not matter to me anyway. What is important are his songs.
Michael Jackson's dad, Joe, suspects 'foul play' in death of King of Pop BY Brian Kates DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Michael Jackson's grieving father said he suspects "foul play" in the 50-year-old King of Pop's untimely death two weeks ago.
"I do believe it was foul play," Joe Jackson told ABC News Friday. "I do believe that. Yes."
The 79-year-old family patriarch said he wanted to know why his son died so suddenly, but added that a second autopsy commissioned by the Jackson family has yet to reveal any answers.
Jackson did not elaborate on why he suspected foul play.
"I just couldn't believe what was happening to Michael" as he was being rushed to the hospital after collapsing on June 25, Jackson told ABC News' Chris Connelly.
Los Angeles police are waiting for the coroner's report, which hinges on crucial toxicology tests.
Detectives were looking at the singer's history of prescription drug use and trying to question his former doctors.
"Based on those we'll have an idea of what we're dealing with," Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton said. "Are we dealing with homicide? Are we dealing with an accidental overdose? What are we dealing with?"
Jackson said he didn't know anything about the drugs his son used.
"I don't even know the name of them," he said. "I do know that whatever he was taking was to make him rest because he had been working so hard."
An attorney for Michael Jackson's dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, told the Los Angeles Times that subpoenaed medical records had been turned over to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
After the singer's death, Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who had worked for him, told The Associated Press she repeatedly rejected his demands for the potent anesthetic Diprivan, also known as Propofol.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the state attorney general's office, which keeps a database of prescription drugs, are assisting investigators.
Meanwhile, the elder Jackson - who was to attend another memorial service in the singer's hometown of Gary, Ind., Friday - told ABC that he and his wife, Katherine, should have custody of the superstar's three children.
"There's no one else to do what we can do for them," he said. "We should keep them all together and then make them happy, feed 'em like they're supposed to be fed, and let them get rest, plenty of sleep and grow up to be strong Jacksons."
He said Michael's daughter, Paris, 11, whose emotional words at the Stapels Center memorial service on Tuesday, brought tears to fans across the world, is taking the death hard.
"When you start talking about Michael she starts crying," he said.
Jackson said he hoped Paris might have a future in the entertainment business along with the youngest son, Prince Michael II, 7, nicknamed Blanket, who "can really dance."
The children have been under the care of their grandmother, Katherine Jackson who is gearing up for a custody battle.
Joe Jackson was left out of their son's will, which designated his wife as the first-choice legal guardian. The two are still married but reportedly living separately.
A hearing on the custody of the children has been scheduled for Monday.
source
I believe that an in depth investigation should be conducted to determine the actual death of the king of pop
"I do believe it was foul play," Joe Jackson told ABC News Friday. "I do believe that. Yes."
The 79-year-old family patriarch said he wanted to know why his son died so suddenly, but added that a second autopsy commissioned by the Jackson family has yet to reveal any answers.
Jackson did not elaborate on why he suspected foul play.
"I just couldn't believe what was happening to Michael" as he was being rushed to the hospital after collapsing on June 25, Jackson told ABC News' Chris Connelly.
Los Angeles police are waiting for the coroner's report, which hinges on crucial toxicology tests.
Detectives were looking at the singer's history of prescription drug use and trying to question his former doctors.
"Based on those we'll have an idea of what we're dealing with," Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton said. "Are we dealing with homicide? Are we dealing with an accidental overdose? What are we dealing with?"
Jackson said he didn't know anything about the drugs his son used.
"I don't even know the name of them," he said. "I do know that whatever he was taking was to make him rest because he had been working so hard."
An attorney for Michael Jackson's dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, told the Los Angeles Times that subpoenaed medical records had been turned over to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
After the singer's death, Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who had worked for him, told The Associated Press she repeatedly rejected his demands for the potent anesthetic Diprivan, also known as Propofol.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the state attorney general's office, which keeps a database of prescription drugs, are assisting investigators.
Meanwhile, the elder Jackson - who was to attend another memorial service in the singer's hometown of Gary, Ind., Friday - told ABC that he and his wife, Katherine, should have custody of the superstar's three children.
"There's no one else to do what we can do for them," he said. "We should keep them all together and then make them happy, feed 'em like they're supposed to be fed, and let them get rest, plenty of sleep and grow up to be strong Jacksons."
He said Michael's daughter, Paris, 11, whose emotional words at the Stapels Center memorial service on Tuesday, brought tears to fans across the world, is taking the death hard.
"When you start talking about Michael she starts crying," he said.
Jackson said he hoped Paris might have a future in the entertainment business along with the youngest son, Prince Michael II, 7, nicknamed Blanket, who "can really dance."
The children have been under the care of their grandmother, Katherine Jackson who is gearing up for a custody battle.
Joe Jackson was left out of their son's will, which designated his wife as the first-choice legal guardian. The two are still married but reportedly living separately.
A hearing on the custody of the children has been scheduled for Monday.
source
I believe that an in depth investigation should be conducted to determine the actual death of the king of pop
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