With all of the press in a furor over the death of Michael Jackson, I have read only a single article that seems to represent him in a way that has a semblance of a “ring of truth” to it.

This article by Ian Halperin is an eye-opener about his finances, his controllers, his being gay and finally, the bugbear of the last twenty years: the alleged child molestation.

The Daily Mail – “‘I’m better off dead. I’m done’: Michael Jackson’s fateful prediction just a week before his death” by Ian Halperin

Ok–you know you’re getting older when your contemporaries start dying suddenly. Michael Jackson and I were born only 5 months apart in 1958.

Of course, I am healthy, don’t take “prescription drugs”, drink “Jesus Juice”, molest children and haven’t had any “work” done. And I’m pretty much the same color I was when I born (maybe a little darker, due to wear and tear).

I appreciate his music, talent and the ability to inspire using those tools, but the dude was a freak on so many levels.

That being said, we all have to overcome and outgrow the things that hold us back. Some of us do it better than others, obviously.

If I hear one more time how he was never allowed to be a child, I’m gonna barf. He spent hundreds of millions of dollars and 30 years of his life trying to regain something that should at best, have lasted 10 or 12 years. Get over it already. Move on.

Ultimately, his bizarre behavior was enabled by a coterie of hangers-on, moray eel-like family members and a fawning public that at one time actually revered him as “The Archangel Michael” — as if god had sent another son because that whole Jesus thing wasn’t working out.

It’s sad when someone seemingly dies “before their time”, but ultimately, everyone dies in “their” time. There are no exceptions.

The rules of physics apply and are perhaps some of the few constants we can rely on. Heaven knows, even Michael Jackson should have understood that.

I feel really bad because I missed the 100th anniversary of the birth of famous Brazilian singer/actress Carmen Miranda yesterday.

I’ve been a fan for many years. Several years ago, my honey and I spent some time ogling her costumes, hats and shoes in the Muséu de Carmen Miranda in Rio de Janeiro.

For my Portuguese readers, I have included a nice summary article from G1 (a Brazilian music website) entitled “Carmen Miranda, a fragile woman hiding under a tutti-frutti hat”:

Carmen Miranda, uma frágil mulher escondida sob um chapéu de frutas
Alicia García de Francisco

Redação Central, 9 fev (EFE).- Por baixo do chapéu de frutas mais famoso da história do cinema se escondia uma pequena mulher muito mais frágil do que suas canções e apresentações refletiam: Carmen Miranda, a brasileira mais universal de todas, que nasceu em Portugal, há exatamente 100 anos.
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This review of the concert we attended on Friday night says it very well.

Review: Sold-out Adele concert a rare event
Breakout » Crowd in Murray sees Adele just as she emerges into a big star, sans the marketing.
By Ellen Fagg Weist

The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 01/26/2009 07:07:22 AM MST

Now that she has been nominated for four Grammys, it is unlikely Adele will be performing in intimate venues much longer.

There’ll never be another breakout tour like this for Adele, the young, white soul singer who is part of the current British invasion, this time a female talent.

And for the 1,000 fans packed into the sold-out Murray Theater on Friday night, what we witnessed was an emerging star, at the precise stage between raw talent and packaging.
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Tonight we concerted at the Murray Theater with 4-time Grammy nominee Adele (who turns just 21 in May) and surprise opening act James Morrison (see album covers and Amazon links below).

The back-to-back performances lasted about an hour each and were both some of the best I’ve seen.

Adele has a beautiful, clarion voice that seems to last and last. There was no sign of weakness (other than a missed phrase or two, and she apologized afterward) and she played her own accompaniment on guitar for many of the songs, along with a five-piece band when needed.

Mr. Morrison has a distinctive and powerful voice that does justice to his own compositions. I kept thinking he sounded familiar until he sang one of his final songs: You Give Me Something — an iTunes free download-of-the-week from last year (I actually found Adele the same way with her Hometown Glory).

I have found several new and pleasing artists that way, so I always download them, even when they have bad reviews.

The venue itself is a converted movie theater and the seating non-existent. We stood for 3 hours cheek-to-jowl, but among new friends both on-stage and at elbow’s length.

Songs for You, Truths for Me

James Morrison

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Adele - 19