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Welcome to a post by our guest blogger for today, Tootsie Bellittera. She wrote this funny, touching post on Facebook to honor MJ. It captures that Michael Jackson fever essence so many of us grew up with. Thought you might like to read. She has kindly let us reprint it.– ValerieMy Top 10 Favorite Michael Jackson Memories
by Tootsie Bellittera
10. Thriller was the second record I ever owned (after Kenny Rogers) and the Jacksons Victory was the first cassette. My older brother also had a copy of Thriller, and he refused to share, so I got my own, and my Mom wrote “Tootsie” across the top in red pen so we’d know whose was whose. I still have it.
9. I used to try to bend and tighten my wrist so that the veins would pop out like his did on the inside fold-out of the Thriller album.
8. I kept a Michael Jackson Scrapbook with clippings from his travails with Bubbles, Brooke Shields, and Emmanuel Lewis.
7. Admit it, you remember where you were when his hair caught on fire.
6. Practicing the Moonwalk with tube socks on the dining room floor after my Mom waxed it.
5. Recording HBO’s “Making of We are the World” on Beta and watching it over and over again, totally thrilled to find there was a version that included the call and response “We Are the World, Sha-Na! We are the children, Sha-na-lin-ge!”
4. Getting that oh-so-important phone call from a neighborhood kid stating simply “Thriller’s on!” and then running to turn on MTV.
3. Forming the “29 Club” with my friend Laura to commemorate our birthdays – mine is July 29, Michael’s August 29, and Laura’s September 29.
2. 1984, MTV’s first ever Video Music Awards. They had a Viewer’s Choice category where you could call in and vote, and I took it upon myself to make sure that Michael Jackson won for Thriller. Every day after school I would call the number over and over again, on a rotary phone no less, so it was a serious effort! To entertain myself while I was dialing I would create all these scenarios in my head like I was just shot and I would drag myself to the phone to make my last phone call. To vote for Thriller. Yeah, dramatic. Anyway, apparently it was a toll number, which I didn’t realize. One day I came home and my Dad asked me if I had made any phone calls to an 800 number… then he showed me the phone bill!!! It was several pages long, all the same number!! I have to ask him if he remembers how much it came to. I think I am the reason they now say, “Kids, get your parents’ permission before dialing.” But when the VMA’s came, he won, and I felt personally responsible. And thank god too, because he didn’t even win Video of the Year if you can believe it, The Cars did!!!!!!
1. Going to see the Jacksons Victory tour at Rich Stadium in Buffalo, 1984 (I was 11). My Mom came home one day and said “Guess what I bought?” and I exclaimed, “a Cabbage Patch!” But no, she told me she had bought Michael Jackson tickets (at the House of Guitars). Went with my parents, a couple that was friends with them, and their daughter. They drove us to Buffalo and we tailgated after the concert because the traffic was so bad getting out. We had floor (field) seats, I still can’t believe my Mom scored those tickets. They actually had chairs on the ground but everyone just rushed forward. The opening act was a juggler!! He was totally booed off the stage. There were all these MJ look alikes at the concert and they were signing autographs! I got one guy’s autograph and he signed it… Michael Jackson! It was the first time I saw/smelled pot – the people directly in front of us were passing joints. I was not yet in 6th grade. When Michael came out everyone went absolutely nuts – girls were pulling their hair out and fainting.
RIP MJ. Thanks for the thrills!
posted June 26, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I was so sad to hear of his death. I’ve always appreciated his
music and other talents. I also felt that the media was extremely
negative toward him and never concentrated on his many great
qualities. I cried when I saw his picture and realized that he
had passed. He was one of a kind. I hope he is finally at peace
with our Lord. He will be sorely missed and so will his music.
Rest in Peace Michael. xxoo. christi.
posted June 27, 2009 at 11:59 am
MJ’s sad demise leaves lasting sadness in my heart. I miss him and his graceful movements on stage with that melodious voice.
RIP
posted June 28, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Wow, my memories of MJ go all the way back to his start with the Jackson 5—he and I were born the same year. I’ve danced to his music most of my life now—still do—and he will always hold a special place in my heart. I’d rather concentrate on his talent and brilliance than the problems he had in life. I admit to tearing up when I listened to “Got To Be There”—he was so young and unaware of the mega-stardom that awaited him and which would ultimately consume him like it has so many others. I pray he now has the peace that eluded him in life. R.I.P. Michael.
posted June 29, 2009 at 9:31 am
Mj was an enigmatic person for sure, not the writer of this blog, but so many others I hear these days, act like he wasn’t accused of those horrible things he was accused and got off with, for whatever reason, now they pretend it never happened,, you should have forgiven him when he was alive, it is easy to jump on the band wagon now, especially when so many were in the mob dogging him for years, let the poor man rest in Peace!
posted June 29, 2009 at 10:04 am
Well, Peter, on some of the other message boards, there are STILL people vilifying him over the accusations he faced while he was alive. Not everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Honestly, no one but the parties involved will ever know the complete truth, but he was acquitted on all charges and there ARE people who will LIE in order to get their hands on a nice chunk of change from someone famous and rich. All I can say is, if—IF—the people who accused him WERE, indeed, lying—then they have to share some of the responsibility for his death.
As I said in my earlier post though: I’d rather focus now on his brilliance as an entertainer than on the negative aspects of his life. He deserves to be remembered that way.
posted June 30, 2009 at 3:08 pm
For the rest of my life, I will remember the moment that I found out that Michael Jackson was dead… I was gathering my things as I prepared to leave my office for the day. It was 5:50 p.m. (CST) and as I stood to leave, I flipped back over to my email one last time, as I usually do. The first thing that caught my eye was the title of one of my messages, Michael Jackson, Dead at 50.” I gasped as my hands flew to my mouth. I leaned on the desk for support as I opened the message which featured a large picture of Michael with His name, birthdate and death date. Tears filled my eyes for this beautiful, talented man whose life was never really lived in a normal sense. My tears began to fall as I rushed out of my office fumbling with my keys, trying to get to the radio and more news. With each report from various the radio stations, my sadness grew. By the time I got home, my two younger daughters, HUGE fans of Michael (we all are) had heard the news. Toya, the twenty-two year old had already texted me in tears when she found out. I was stunned, numbed by this news, and even now, my heart is aching. As a young girl, growing up in a small Louisiana town, I LIVED for the Saturday morning episodes of “The Jackson Five” cartoon program and for any other shows that Michael and his brothers would be on! Back then, I had constant debates with my school friends over which of those cute brothers was in fact the cutest! I thought Jermaine was too cute! We grew up with Michael. We hung onto every shred of news, every television appearance, every 45, because in them we had hopes that our own lives would be better. I feel like a member of my own family has died. My sadness is only compounded by the news reports which focus on the molestation charges, of which he was cleared, and his problems with addictions, and what I am sure will turn into a custody battle that will make the Anna Nicole Smith debacle seem tame… I was and am angered by how cavalierly people are already treating his contributions to this world. Comparisions to Elvis and Sinatra, saying that it’s hard to know who was the most talented upset me to no end! Sinatra and Elvis were two dimensional compared to Michael Jackson who was a singer, songwriter, choreographer, producer and philanthropist! Comparisions…there really are none!
posted January 27, 2011 at 11:29 am
I love Michael Jackson and we still have girls pulling their hair out over him. i personally i am one of those girls. But if you can’t love michael jackson who can you love. Those rumors about him being a a child molester are not true and anyone who belives them needs to check their source Michael Jackson was the greatest sweetest most misunderstood man to ever live. I personally adore Michael Jackson. He is the greatest artist to ever live and no one even comes close to his talent