Michael Jackson in hospital, cardiac arrest

[Lily]

CNN is reporting that Michael Jackson has been transported from his home in L.A. to the UCLA Medical Center in cardiac arrest. After a 911 call, paramedics treated and transported Jackson to the Center's Emergency Room. Paramedics were performing CPR on Jackson before transferring his care to personnel at the ER.

[Michael]

This is just weird. Ed McMahan dies one day and then Farah the next day - both icons of the 1970s. One of the guys at work said, who's going to be the third?

Michael Jackson's original fame was in the 1970s as well...

[Lily]

Yeah. This isn't good. I'm hearing reports he wasn't breathing when paramedics reached him. With cardiac arrest, a bad outcome is highly likely within minutes of the event without treatment.

Okay, apparently his brother said it was a sudden collapse at home and 911 was called pretty much immediately.

[partofme]

TMZ has said Jackson is dead but other sites like CNN are not saying it yet.

[Lily]

CNN is now reporting that Jackson is in a coma.

Wow. That means his brain has been severly deprived of oxygen. Not good.

[Lily]

TMZ has said Jackson is dead but other sites like CNN are not saying it yet.

Given the time it took for the paramedics to arrive, begin CPR, transport him, my thoughts are that he was DOA.

[Lily]

CBS News and the LA Times are reporting Michael Jackson has died.

[Michael]

CBS News and the LA Times are reporting Michael Jackson has died.

Wow! Not that I was ever a fan of the freak, but no one deserves to die.

May he find the peace in death that eluded him life.

[partofme]

Wow! Not that I was ever a fan of the freak, but no one deserves to die.

May he find the peace in death that eluded him life.

He is odd but if I quiet listening to musicians that are eccentric my collection would be much more boring. Then again I never cared for his music.

[andrewl]

Wow, two of my childhood icons gone in one day. My yearning for the 80's has never been deeper.

The poster girl on my wall, and the musical hero of my elementary school days. I even took breakdancing lessons because of MJ, and i can still bust a move a wee bit. Always good for a laugh after a few beers.

Andrew

[Americano]

I view him as the Frank Sinatra of his entertainment generation. He did it his way. For those unfamiliar with a dinosaur like Sinatra, he was as egotistical as Jackson, an entertainment icon on Jackson's level and his best known recording was a song titled 'My way'. I wasn't a fan of Sinatra or Jackson.

[Evangeline]

Sgt. Justin J. Duffy was 31 and he died in Iraq. He was from Nebraska, killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 2, 2009. We have to hear about Michael Jackson all day. And we hardly ever hear about our brave troops who are dying EVERY day in war.

[Lily]

Sgt. Justin J. Duffy was 31 and he died in Iraq. He was from Nebraska, killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 2, 2009. We have to hear about Michael Jackson all day. And we hardly ever hear about our brave troops who are dying EVERY day in war.

A soldier does not give his life in service to his country to be exalted in that endeavor. Yet, we who do not fight honor him just the same. War is not a sexy business; unpopular wars... well, perhaps you are too young to remember the treatment our soldiers endured when returning from Viet Nam. My sense is that, as a nation, we are beyond that kind of despicable treatment.

R.I.P. Sgt. Duffy and thank you for making the ultimate sacrifice for your country.

[Michael]

Sgt. Justin J. Duffy was 31 and he died in Iraq. He was from Nebraska, killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 2, 2009. We have to hear about Michael Jackson all day. And we hardly ever hear about our brave troops who are dying EVERY day in war.

Every single Canadian soldier who dies in Afghanistan gets full media treatment here. The military ceremony of loading the flag-drapped coffin into the aircraft in Afghanistan, an official funeral procession from the airport in Canada to the military base, and a brief profile and retrospective of that soldier's life, along with words from their friends and family on the national news.

One particular highway just north of Toronto is now often referred to as the "Highway of Heros" as this is the main path many military funeral processions follow. It is common for spectators and well-wishers to line the highway or to line bridge/overpasses to that highway to show their support, hang banners, flags (or salute) when the military funeral procession passes.

[aaronssongs]

Sgt. Justin J. Duffy was 31 and he died in Iraq. He was from Nebraska, killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 2, 2009. We have to hear about Michael Jackson all day. And we hardly ever hear about our brave troops who are dying EVERY day in war.
Excuse me, but though we feel remorse and regret for any and every soldier who loses his or her life, defending American interests, Michael Jackson was a world icon, the likes of which will never be seen again. Have a little compassion.

[Michael]

Excuse me, but though we feel remorse and regret for any and every soldier who loses his or her life, defending American interests, Michael Jackson was a world icon, the likes of which will never be seen again. Have a little compassion.

Yes, Jackson was a world icon, but that was the artist that produced Thriller. I think that artist died a long time ago.

For the last twenty years, MJ has been symbolic only of mental illness, endless court cases and a grotesque spectacle.

I find it hard to forget that second half of his career.

[Americano]

Sgt. Justin J. Duffy was 31 and he died in Iraq. He was from Nebraska, killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 2, 2009. We have to hear about Michael Jackson all day. And we hardly ever hear about our brave troops who are dying EVERY day in war.

Making the choice to become enlisted cannon fodder serving special interests at public expense is their problem, not mine. They're certainly not defending my freedom. I feel more empathy with the civilians they indiscriminately kill in support of corrupt, self-serving US puppet governments.

[partofme]

Sgt. Justin J. Duffy was 31 and he died in Iraq. He was from Nebraska, killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 2, 2009. We have to hear about Michael Jackson all day. And we hardly ever hear about our brave troops who are dying EVERY day in war.


You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan." But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds!

- The Joker

[Evangeline]

Excuse me, but though we feel remorse and regret for any and every soldier who loses his or her life, defending American interests, Michael Jackson was a world icon, the likes of which will never be seen again. Have a little compassion.

I have equal compassion for every death. Being famous does not make a person's life more valuable than a non-famous person' life.

[Evangeline]

Dear Michael Jackson,

Thank you!!

Sincerely yours,

Governor Sanford.

[Evangeline]

Every single Canadian soldier who dies in Afghanistan gets full media treatment here. The military ceremony of loading the flag-drapped coffin into the aircraft in Afghanistan, an official funeral procession from the airport in Canada to the military base, and a brief profile and retrospective of that soldier's life, along with words from their friends and family on the national news.

One particular highway just north of Toronto is now often referred to as the "Highway of Heros" as this is the main path many military funeral processions follow. It is common for spectators and well-wishers to line the highway or to line bridge/overpasses to that highway to show their support, hang banners, flags (or salute) when the military funeral procession passes.

That's the way it should be done.

[Americano]

That's the way it should be done.

Why would a soldier fighting for special interest purposes deserve more respect/honor than any other public servant? Isn't the enlisted class military of a country not being attacked, such as the US, merely cannon fodder for interventionism, a form of colonialism? I do support the troops, but consider them other than the officers, since about 1945, stupid for serving special interests under the guise of patriotism. Why should I worship a dead soldier I don't even know?

Michael Jackson deserves a parade for his performing artist accomplishments. The dead soldier supporting colonialism, to me, deserves no more than what the military provides.

[The Drunk Guy]

Why would a soldier fighting for special interest purposes deserve more respect/honor than any other public servant? Isn't the enlisted class military of a country not being attacked, such as the US, merely cannon fodder for interventionism, a form of colonialism? I do support the troops, but consider them other than the officers, since about 1945, stupid for serving special interests under the guise of patriotism. Why should I worship a dead soldier I don't even know?

Michael Jackson deserves a parade for his performing artist accomplishments. The dead soldier supporting colonialism, to me, deserves no more than what the military provides.
I agree with the soldier part, but I must disagree with the Michael Jackson part. Celebrity iconography is silly, particularly when dealing with deaths. Everyone dies. I find mourning to be strained, especially when it's a strange public figure that pops in and out of everyday awareness.

[Michael]

I agree with the soldier part, but I must disagree with the Michael Jackson part. Celebrity iconography is silly, particularly when dealing with deaths. Everyone dies. I find mourning to be strained, especially when it's a strange public figure that pops in and out of everyday awareness.

Given our mass media saturated environment, celebrities can and do make up a significant part of one's own 'inner circle' of acquaintances in a way that individual soldiers do not.

Thus the death of a celebrity may be felt in a way closer to that of the death of a friend. The death of a soldier is an entirely abstract phenomena for most people who aren't related to that particular soldier.

[partofme]

I think it has quite a bit to do with nostalgia. Like him or not his songs are instantly recognizable world wide. I can't think of many pop stars in which I know most of the hits word for word despite never owning a single album of his. Then you have the controversies which just made him even more famous. It's like having Elvis and O.J. Simpson rolled into one and then dying younger than expected.

[Americano]

I think it has quite a bit to do with nostalgia. Like him or not his songs are instantly recognizable world wide. I can't think of many pop stars in which I know most of the hits word for word despite never owning a single album of his. Then you have the controversies which just made him even more famous. It's like having Elvis and O.J. Simpson rolled into one and then dying younger than expected.

I was never a fan but a couple of his dance routines were as impressive as anything I've ever seen.

[Michael]

I was never a fan but a couple of his dance routines were as impressive as anything I've ever seen.

I've never been a fan at all, but I certainly have to admit that during the 1980s, Michael Jackson was a truly dynamic and creative superstar of extraordinary success - way above and beyond 'the norm' for most other musical stars.

Since 1990 though, I'd be willing to bet he's been suffering from some type of mental illness.

[Margot]

I've never been a fan at all, but I certainly have to admit that during the 1980s, Michael Jackson was a truly dynamic and creative superstar of extraordinary success - way above and beyond 'the norm' for most other musical stars.

Since 1990 though, I'd be willing to bet he's been suffering from some type of mental illness.

I think a lot of his eccentricities had to do with the fact that he never really got to have a childhood-- it was stolen by his career. I don't think there's anything worse than denying a kid the chance to just be a kid. It broke my heart.

[Lily]

Death in the Age of All Things Marketing...

Have we gone too far? Fans who want to attend a memorial service next week at L.A.'s Staple Center will have to register for one of the free 11,000 tickets, according to a CNN story.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/02/jackson.wrap/index.html

I can only imagine what promoters and marketers will do with those names. Offer Michael Jackson commerative plates? Film the event and offer DVDs and Bluerays to the attendees? Spam them with emails about the (what I'm sure is already in the works) MJ boxed set retrospective of his life's work? As odd as this may seem to me personally, I can't help thinking this is exactly what Jackson, himself, would do.

[Americano]

Death in the Age of All Things Marketing...

Have we gone too far? Fans who want to attend a memorial service next week at L.A.'s Staple Center will have to register for one of the free 11,000 tickets, according to a CNN story.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/02/jackson.wrap/index.html

I can only imagine what promoters and marketers will do with those names. Offer Michael Jackson commerative plates? Film the event and offer DVDs and Bluerays to the attendees? Spam them with emails about the (what I'm sure is already in the works) MJ boxed set retrospective of his life's work? As odd as this may seem to me personally, I can't help thinking this is exactly what Jackson, himself, would do.

From what little I've read about his estate, in spite of his personal spending habits, it was professionally managed. His mother is now in charge and if anyone knows promotion, it has to be her. She'll hire the very best to wring every possible cent from her son's legacy to benefit her grandchildren.

How long does everyone think it'll be before we hear about Michael Jackson impersonators in Vegas? The lawyers have to already be engaged negotiating those rights.

[Lily]

Are we done, now? I couldn't turn on a channel yesterday without seeing that Michael Jackson love fest at the Staple Center. CNN had wall-to-wall, all day coverage. The major networks all had hours of coverage. I am so over it. Bury the man and move on, please!

Yes, I know I'm being unrealistic. There is more to come, I have no doubt.

I want my three television channels back. The ones that went off-air after the late show and left us with a strange symbol and a weird monotone until morning. I want to go to bed knowing that whatever happens can wait until I get up. I want Walter Cronkite back. I want real journalists, not a bunch of "consultants" and talking heads who think it's okay to be the news instead of reporting it. I want people in charge of news outlets who understand what news IS.

I blame the hippies, damnit. Them and their, "This is bullshit, man! Get real, man!" Here's your "real," you freak, wall-to-wall MJ.

Pffft.

[The Drunk Girl]

I can only imagine what promoters and marketers will do with those names. Offer Michael Jackson commerative plates? Film the event and offer DVDs and Bluerays to the attendees?

I heard them say they were already discussing selling his memorial service on DVD. Give them a few weeks and it'll be on every Wal-Mart shelf available.

You know who I feel sorry for?...The city of LA. First the big parade for the Lakers and now the memorial for Jackson. All that money "blown" in just a short period of time. Must be nice.

[Americano]

I heard them say they were already discussing selling his memorial service on DVD. Give them a few weeks and it'll be on every Wal-Mart shelf available.

You know who I feel sorry for?...The city of LA. First the big parade for the Lakers and now the memorial for Jackson. All that money "blown" in just a short period of time. Must be nice.

According to the news, $1.5M. A full third, 3000 LEOs of the LAPD, was assigned to MJ's service. About the same cost as the Lakers parade, common crime has to be praying for yet another big event LA can't afford. Many US munis and states are in absolutely scary financial condition. (sorry in advance for the off-topic comment).