Fantasy Mike

' Only in America can a cute black boy with a big fat nose turn into a delicate pretty white woman with no nose at all'. That was just one of the many jokes i have heard about the rightly labeled 'king of pop' Michael Jackson. So the half man-half woman turned 50 this Friday, and how did he choose to celebrate it? He spend the day watching cartoons at home with his 3 children. Not a party fit for king, but atleast the kids aren't complaining.

Michael is said to have had a very trying childhood, controlled by
his dominating father. But he is a perfect example of a child prodigy. At the tender age of 6 he was lead singer to the band 'Jackson 5' and the media has been religiously following his life since the 'ABC' days. the band even had a cartoon series on them at the time.

The boy grew up to be a world wide star. His albums like thriller, bad, dangerous were instant hits. The music industry grew with Michael, but not the boy inside him. His greatest regret to this day is missing out on a normal happy childhood, which he blames on his parents. To compensate this he decided never to grow up, to relive his childhood as an adult.

He got an estate for himself, named it 'Neverland', converted it into an amusement park and filled it with zoo animals. He was constantly seen hanging out with pre-teen boys (which was another reason for controversy in his life). During his brighter days there was no one even remotely qualified to beat him at his job. To top it all he married Lisa Marley Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. oh what a lovely fairytale it all was, until...

His life was filled with controversy and rumors. Even at the peak of his career, during his 'thriller' days there talks of surgeries being done 'to lighten the skin'. There were alleged stories that he was taking female hormones to keep up the pitch and avoid facial hair. then later to reclaim his 'male' title he was rumored to have transplanted some hair to own a Goatee (i shudder think where he got the hair from).

Then there was the great controversy over the child molestation charges. This really broke his heart (or him?), he couldn't take the limelight anymore. It converted him into the whining, weeping, hurt, abused , misunderstood victim. his constantly shrinking nose, and skin that gets paler by the day never failed to get the attention it deserved. The time he decided to give his 11 month old son a peak into the wild, horrible world by dangling him off a hotel window didn't go well with child activists. The man has had it rough for more than a decade now. During his crazy days he was lovingly referred to a 'Wacko Jacko' by the media.

But all things apart i do remember the good old days. I remember the time when no party survived without Michael's music. I remember the time when dance meant Michael's moves especially the moon walk, I've seen a million people, professional dancers included who have tried to imitate the moon walk, but none have got close to the master. I remember the time my sister and myself used to scream every time his videos were shown on TV (and we were hardly 10 then) . I remember the days when people believed a skin problem caused his color change and even sympathized with him. I remember the days he came for interviews with that infectious smile, when he didnt have to cover his nose (which is almost non-existent now) during public appearances. The days he had hit after hit, broke record sales and let his music do the talking.

So on his 50th birthday i was expecting him to do something crazy but predictable. Maybe come out with a new album or adopt a child or announce a world tour. But no, as usual he stunts us by doing something very unstar like by spending time with his kids. But the funny part is even that is news. Well what to say except that michael you never stop to amuse us, whether intentionally or unintentionally.