a great loss

the whole world has lost two icons today: farrah fawcett and michael jackson. however, covering these two tragedies would take a great amount of time and blog space. so i am simply going to write about the one who was closest to my heart. sorry. ):

michael jackson was an incredibly talented and entertaining performer. he was clearly loved by people around the globe who will all miss him terribly. the passing of such a pop culture icon called not only for mourning, but for a celebration of his greatness. unfortunately, what SHOULD have been a day filled with the most cherished memories of fans and family was ruined by--dare i say it--journalists. 

i know their sole job is to provide others with information, but today they went too far. following the jackson family's cars and standing outside MJ's house waiting for someone to question is one way to get info. however, it was completely unacceptable to run next to the SUVs transporting the family in their time of mourning. a lack of privacy obviously comes with fame nowadays, but to not have time to grieve after a loved one passes away is a whole different story. hmm.. and i will stop ranting now because this isn't helping anyone. but seriously, i was actually ashamed to call myself a journalist as i was watching the news during the coverage of this event. 

michael jackson has influenced so many people in so many ways. i'm very sorry to say that i was just recently reintroduced to his music in the past year or so. as a child, my parents exposed me to almost every music icon imaginable. i know for a fact that MJ was one of them. however, i seemed to have lost that admiration for such artists along the way. being so focused on the music that was "in" basically blinded me.. (or i guess 'deafened' would be the more appropriate word). it wasn't until i began rediscovering who i was as an individual that i revisited my first loves. inevitably, i found MJ again. listening to the whole "thriller" album for the first time in years left me feeling so invigorated. it was just soooo.. ironically fresh. i then realized how current artists were all inspired by him. sampled MJ songs were all around me, and i never even realized it. (i suppose this means that i was never really out of touch with his music. i just didn't know it.) and it wasn't only the music that was inspiring; his dancing was a feat in itself. after watching some of his old videos, i started to see how similar his moves are to the ones today.. only his were so much better. 

although he is no longer with us, knowing that michael jackson's influence surrounds everyone is a very comforting feeling. with everything he has done for the music, dance, and entertainment industry, he forever be missed. sad as this may be, his presence is still alive as ever. we couldn't forget him even if we tried.