tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post137046451697259909..comments2024-03-15T20:52:26.967-07:00Comments on Steve Sailer: iSteve: Michael Jackson and Fred AstaireUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-86738062540631889762015-03-29T16:36:10.036-07:002015-03-29T16:36:10.036-07:00I really like Michael Jackson, but his Billie Jean...I really like Michael Jackson, but his Billie Jean routine was lifted from the great BOB FOSSE (The Little Prince 1974). It's a real shame that Michael never credited Mr. Fosse for his Billie Jean act. Bob Fosse's style, and dance moves from The Little Prince are the foundation of Billie Jean. MJ took those moves to another level, and made them his own. Bob Fosse was a major influence on Michael Jackson.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-9276793609634097892014-01-29T19:55:47.857-08:002014-01-29T19:55:47.857-08:00It hurts me to see some is these pointless ignoran...It hurts me to see some is these pointless ignorant and hateful comments about Michael Jackson considering he prided himself by trying to instill tolerance and pacifism. Just listen to “Beat It." Jackson NEVER attacked anyone, not even after that very person attack by Eminem"s Just Lose It. I watched the interview and MJ did admit it hurt him deeply, but he also said he always had admired "Mr. Eminem's talent." Michael Jackson. Seemed to always give credit where he felt credit was due, no matter what or how an individual had said or done to purposely hurt or wrong him. During that interview he seemed more concerned about his children seeing it. He expressed pain on a deep level were they to see it. In the end Jackson just said, well he hoped Eminem was having some fun with it, although he ought to be ashamed.<br /><br />Further, why are we not mentioning the fact he supported over 39 charities worldwide, tried to break down ALL racial barriers, promote peace was inducted as honorary KING, where he wore a golden crown for the day (wiki states the,country), was inducted into the hall of fame TWICE, and is one of the only out of a select few, who as a pop musician is in the Dancers Hall of Fame, which is an extremely high standard. Michael Jackson was "on" since he was a baby. Since the age of 8, so for 42 years of his life he lived with cameras flashing in his face, people screaming anytime they saw him. People have to wonder why he didn't want to be out in a crowd?? Unfortunately, his home his castle, was also his prison. He expressed in one of his last interviews how much fun it would be to go grocery shopping and push the cart up and down the aisle and get to pick out whatever he wanted, or go to , a bookstore. Well he's made a profound impact on me, for the better, and because of him, I choose to be less judgemental, and less angry and more giving. Thank you Michael Jackson, you were and are and FOREVER will be, at the least bit, THE KING OF POP..... with much love, butterfly :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-18754182833052104282014-01-29T17:36:02.640-08:002014-01-29T17:36:02.640-08:00A-LOT racially biased, maybe?? I think maybe you ...A-LOT racially biased, maybe?? I think maybe you should educate yourself alittle before putting this statement out for everyone, especially, the man's children to see. He put in to motion many very important things. The man supported over 39 charities and set into motion racial equality and acceptance that for all we know is the reason Obama sits where does now. His soul ran deep and he gave away more money than you could dream to be lucky enough to win in the biggest lotto. I could go on, but it's your choice to stay ignorant if you like, try Wiki, and at least read his bio. Michael Jackson had auto-immune disease (as do I), and suffered many serious injuries on stage, yes he was prescribed LEGAL pain meds, (as am I) so I just had a procedure in December 2013 which required the usage of the anesthesia, "milk" if I were to slip away and die under physician care would everyone be telling my children I was nothing but an addict and "atrocious" never mind the fact that I had no choice but to accept SSDI when I was just 30? Wow, and I have no money to give away to the poor and starving, I am also WHITE, so my strong objection to your post must really make you hate me. It's ok though, rest easy because I'm not strong like Michael Jackson and definitely no kind of threat to whatever it is that made you dislike him so. Whether you like it or not he was he is and will FOREVER BE THE KING OF POP, and a very loved and missed father, brother, son, humanitarian, friend, and fellow brother.....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-37944570438763974282013-12-25T23:56:56.301-08:002013-12-25T23:56:56.301-08:00All these people ragging on Michael he was in a di...All these people ragging on Michael he was in a different era than Fred he had a better singing voice and by the way the dangerous was a very good cd by Michael! and he was a hell of a lot better looking than fred ever was!!!trudathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18160107234324978571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-61775136969022077292013-06-23T18:02:02.029-07:002013-06-23T18:02:02.029-07:00If one is going to make a valid remark on the true...If one is going to make a valid remark on the true artistic status of someone then surely they must first do their homework. Michael Jackson is by far the better singer between the two, no playing about. Jackson even sped his songs up on tours so his music coincided with his energetic dancing and until the mid 90's sung the majority of his songs live as well, a feat not many people could pull off as well as MJ. Dancing? now that's a whole new ball game, you've got yourself a worthy debate on your hands now. Personally, I say enjoy what's in front of you.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-91635022671516787002013-05-07T07:05:03.107-07:002013-05-07T07:05:03.107-07:00Honestly, I don't even care how gracefully Ast...Honestly, I don't even care how gracefully Astaire aged or what a diverse performer Gene Kelly or some other hotshot was, 100 years from now, people will still refer to Michael Jackson as the greatest entertainer of all-time and the aforesaid names would never have been heard of, what MIchael brought to the stage was sheer joy, do watch his concerts, m sure Astaire never had the chance bt to be honest such mass hysteria, only one man could generate, btw do read this where Astaire talks about Michael - http://michaeljackson4eva.wordpress.com/2009/07/03/fred-astaire-thought-michael-jackson-was-the-greatest-dancer/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-51769141547751293842013-01-09T13:53:27.849-08:002013-01-09T13:53:27.849-08:00Lousy article, MJ was a star from the age of 11 wi...Lousy article, MJ was a star from the age of 11 with the Jackson 5. They had 4 number one songs....I'm not even going to bother to address the rest of this article.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-41988842933436043842012-10-02T02:48:08.342-07:002012-10-02T02:48:08.342-07:00Christ.
The ignorance shown here is astonishing; ...Christ.<br /><br />The ignorance shown here is astonishing; the fact people aren’t at all hesitant to spout off complete BS as fact, then marginalize, trivialise and undermine every achievement by Jackson like they have any idea what they are talking about.<br /><br />The fact that people use examples of bad tabloid journalism, thoroughly discredited witnesses, and so called “expert” testimony with a clear agenda is worrying; clearly there are many miserable, bitter souls out there who just want to keep others down and see them fail—pathetic.<br /><br />3 years on, Michael’s legacy is as strong as ever: record breaking Cirque Du Soleil shows; extremely wide reach of his music, and the tremendous growth of Sony-ATV (Michael owns 50%) which recently acquired EMI Music Publishing and is estimated to be worth in the region of 3-6 billion USD.<br /><br />Stay hating, stay bitter—the facts are all there, and Michael will be remembered for a very long time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-25868879400103371762011-12-31T23:37:24.233-08:002011-12-31T23:37:24.233-08:00isteve, your iblog sucks.
Michael Jackson was ge...isteve, your iblog sucks. <br /><br />Michael Jackson was genius at the age of like 10 when he was making #1 hit records for Motown. <br /><br />Michael Jackson was a GREAT singer. Not a good one. A flipping GREAT one. He is one of the greatest singers to ever be recorded. That is a fact. Ask any person who has any kind of technical understanding of singing and voice training. Michael was a mind-blowing vocalist.<br /><br />Fred Astaire loved Michael by the way, and was a huge fan of his. Even called Michael his heir in the foreword to Michael's book Moonwalk. <br /><br />And like I said, Mike wasn't just a genius at 25. Off The Wall was an even better album than Thriller first of all, and secondly Mike was genius when he started out at like 10. Oh, and Bad was a pretty good album, and Dangerous was an AMAZING album. History was meh, but he did two records on that album that were absolutely incredible- They Don't Care About Us and Stranger In Moscow- simply brilliant recordings that were arranged and composed by Michael Jackson.<br /><br />Steve...in short...go fluck yourself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-11585946501247562092011-12-16T14:55:21.990-08:002011-12-16T14:55:21.990-08:00Fred Astaire was a genius who even inspired Michae...Fred Astaire was a genius who even inspired Michael Jackson. But what happened after,..Fred Astaire became an admirer of Jackson.<br /> "Although he (fred) had a light voice, his perfect timing and professionalism were much appreciated by composers."<br /><br />Michael Jackson had a gorgeous vocal range himself, his producers said so of his perfect pitch. He had professionalism, and perfect timing just the same.<br /><br />"But, jeez, look at the difference in their careers and lives: Astaire lived to be 88, exemplified the concept of growing old gracefully in how he slowly wound down his show biz career, enjoyed a decorous private life devoted to his family and his grown-man hobbies (horseracing and golf), and left behind an enormous body of creative dance work in his movies. With Astaire, there's no single peak that overwhelms everything else."<br /><br />Since when does this make an artist brilliant?? It's not what life throws at you, and how you handle it that makes your career shine, it's what you do in it and with it! When did Fred ever recive any numerous amounts of awards for being a humanitarian? When did Fred Astaire create hit singles that supported charitys, and helped needy and sick children. It's way more brag worthy to say so of a career, then someone who just aged gracefully under spending time with family. How many of us do that? Nearly anyone.<br /><br /><br />"Astaire didn't write songs, but Jackson, who couldn't play an instrument, wasn't particularly fertile of melodic invention, either"<br /><br />That was a natural talent that Michael Jackson had-- he DID have melodic invention, and was versatile with it. Astaire could not stand in this category for talent, because he didn't have it.<br /><br />"For Michael as a dancer, what do we really have? The live "Billie Jean" on the Motown 25th Anniversay show, the "Beat It" video, and a few other peaks, but most everything else is overshadowed in the build-up to or let-down from 1983."<br /><br />Michael Jackson had several live shows and music videos, grammy performances, I mean can you name any more?! He was the greatest dancer we've had, and Fred Astaire was a great dancer as well, he was versatile, but mainly at tap. He was credited more as a perfomer, for those that don't really know what dancing is and what makes a dancer splendid. You, as a fan, can't see that if you don't know the difference of dancing (the talent) and performing. Michael used to teach his brothers how to dance at the age of 5! He always knew how to dance, and grew at this talent. He was extremely versatile, and could move with precision. He had every quality that makes up a great dancer.<br /><br />"Unlike Fred Astaire, Michael Jackson didn't have any kind of framework. Astaire was a craftsman who happened to be a genius. Jackson was a genius for about six months at age 25, and spent the rest of his life having people tell him he was a genius."<br /><br />Astaire was a genius who told Michael Jackson he was just the same, He admired Jackson. If your favourite icon is calling this man a genius, it's because he is. <br /><br />This is your sad attempt to try and put a shadow over Jackson's talent, to shine some light on Astaire's.The two are both brilliant. Anyway, you are just upset that Michael Jackson is considered the greatest entertainer of all time! Why does this remain, if it wasn't so?!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-54888253415520047232011-12-16T14:04:53.684-08:002011-12-16T14:04:53.684-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-65985556319655517942011-09-28T20:32:24.432-07:002011-09-28T20:32:24.432-07:00Michael Jackson and Fred Astaire met several times...Michael Jackson and Fred Astaire met several times and liked and respected each other. Both were sweet, shy men, immensely talented and incredibly hard working. I love Michael and I'm a huge fan of Fred. There is no need to make comparisons. I love to watch them both and both are irreplaceable. <br /><br />And Michael was neither weird nor a child molestor. He was in some ways childlike and vulnerable therefore open to exploitation. He had great empathy with and love of children and they adored him back but it was entirely innocent. Remember he was found not guilty on every charge but much of the media did not report the trial honestly.Doodlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04894775806880053375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-33982054899641106212010-12-01T07:35:34.387-08:002010-12-01T07:35:34.387-08:00Unlike Fred Astaire, Michael Jackson didn't ha...Unlike Fred Astaire, Michael Jackson didn't have any kind of framework. Astaire was a craftsman who happened to be a genius. Jackson was a genius for about six months at age 25, and spent the rest of his life having people tell him he was a genius.<br /><br />Michael is genius like it or not he is in his own way. i just dont know why some people feel they need to put another gd entertainer down 2 claim there hero i mean wts up wit dat!!!<br /><br />4 the people saying he fell off after bad or thriller etc. u r all wrong dangerous is an amazing album & HIStory is a well crafted album and is really deep do not say it went dwn 2 the crapper jus cuz new jack swing isnt your style its gd music huh i jus feel srry 4 the ones that r sayin the stuff there missin the gd stuff HIStory album is mre abt humanatarian and his personal experiences Invincible is another gd album even though the media tryed 2 mke out it was a failure bt i recently been listening 2 that album and hve 2 say its no failure alot of gd songs on that album eg. Heaven Can Wait, Break Of Dawn, Rock My World, Cry,....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-88977194874185499222010-03-30T07:40:39.979-07:002010-03-30T07:40:39.979-07:00Michael was also sometimes delusional, I think. He...Michael was also sometimes delusional, I think. He says that he was friends with Fred Astaire and even taught him to moonwalk. Are there any corroborating accounts that the two actually met?<br /><br />^ <br />To the dumbass who wrote this, before you go around calling people delusional, actually try and do some reasearch. You'll find that there are multiple pictures of MJ and Fred Astaire from the late 1970s through the 80s. One of them is in fact, in Michael Jacksons autobiography Moonwalk. Your comment is a fine example of the all the ignorance displayed and flung towards Jackson. Many times he has claimed something and for whatever pathetic reason people have mocked him and showed scorn, but in the end there is always evidence to refute the foolish public and support what Jackson has said. Stop judging and actually go and verify your claims, if you cant, its best to shut your mouth until the truth surfaces (it usually does) instead of making yourself look a complete fool.<br /><br />And just to hone the point even further. Here are 2 examples of Jackson pictured with Astaire: <br /><br />http://geraldlcampbell.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c110953ef0115707c17bd970c-800wi<br /><br />http://www.product-reviews.net/wp-content/userimages/2007/12/elvis-michael-beatles-2.jpg<br /><br /><br />JamesJamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-89838052574055585402010-03-30T07:31:20.999-07:002010-03-30T07:31:20.999-07:00Uhh, a crap attempt from a threatened Astaire fan ...Uhh, a crap attempt from a threatened Astaire fan to undermine Jacksons phenomenal talent and inflate Astaire's. As a huge fan of both and an intelliegence and capacity to appreciate both of their art, separately, I have no reason to compete them against each other. But I will say this, Astaire himself, on many occasions spoke of Michaels prodigious talent and how blown he was by him. A quick google search will lead you to a pot pourri of quotes from the man you admire, admiring the man who you have ruthlessly and criminally undermined. Thus, pretty much invalidating your whole blog entry and argument.Jamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-85430937681339469202010-03-14T03:35:01.129-07:002010-03-14T03:35:01.129-07:00ok while i agree about astaires greatness, your p...ok while i agree about astaires greatness, your points are a little off. I love fred, but he was a very average singer and his records never sold, a fact even astair has remarked on. Micheal jacksons voice range has chnged and grown from the jackson 5 days all the way to the dangerous albums if you actually listen to them. he knew exactl how an when to ajust his voice to fit a certain track. and he damn near wrote the majority of all his albums. So i don't fully understan how he can ave only had genius for 4-6 months. I just dont see it. Fred had box office sucess but he also had numerous bomb. and after the height of his days, especially when musicals were out of fashion, he was no longer a hot commodity. Although he was still a good dramatic actor. All of mcheals albums where successes, they've all gone mult platinum. They just never did thriller numbes, but guess what, niether did any other album ever created lol<br /><br />but stil, good articleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-85447512474659856002010-03-11T06:41:10.328-08:002010-03-11T06:41:10.328-08:00Thought this might interest you:
“Oh, God! Th...Thought this might interest you:<br /><br /> “Oh, God! That boy moves in a very exceptional way. That’s the greatest dancer of the century”. - Fred Astaire<br /><br /> “I didn’t want to leave this world without knowing who my descendant was. Thank you Michael!”- Fred Astaire (shortly before his death)<br /><br /> “The only male singer who I’ve seen besides myself and who’s better than me – that is Michael Jackson.” – Frank SinatraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-84495287093577941422010-03-08T21:23:02.110-08:002010-03-08T21:23:02.110-08:00As a loyal Michael Jackson fan this is very painfu...As a loyal Michael Jackson fan this is very painful to read. All these hateful comments left me in tears. I won't comment on Astaire's genius because I'm just discovering him (thanks to Michael Jackson). I'm guessing you are an American and I don't mean to be disrespectful, but what you said only applies to your country. Believe it or not, the rest of the world treated this man with the respect and love he deserved. I might be biased because I was fortunate enough to grow up with his music and his art, but you can't deny the fact that he revolutionized music, short film, fashion and dance, he truly is the ultimate entertainer.I Call It Arthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05056401662012470770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-4929536612405637822009-12-11T19:59:48.896-08:002009-12-11T19:59:48.896-08:00Michael Jackson was an instrument of nature sent t...Michael Jackson was an instrument of nature sent to heal the world by uniting the planet in song and dance. When he went on stage, he went into a trance where he channeled spiritual energy into the audience. If you look at the audience, you can tell they received that energy. Even now they are dancing his dances all over the world. <br /><br />Fred Astaire was an entertainer. <br /><br />Michael was also sometimes delusional, I think. He says that he was friends with Fred Astaire and even taught him to moonwalk. Are there any corroborating accounts that the two actually met?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-73612945442383325932009-11-19T06:35:23.249-08:002009-11-19T06:35:23.249-08:00this is total bullshit.this is total bullshit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-90895988338802920742009-11-17T09:33:34.715-08:002009-11-17T09:33:34.715-08:00I want to first off say that I am a fan of both Fr...I want to first off say that I am a fan of both Fred Astaire and Michael Jackson. I am sure Michael and myself, being close to the same age (5 years apart) discovered Fred Astaire in the same manner, watching all of his great movies on television. <br />I have to agree with Ligaya, Michael had a lot of extenuating circumstances in his life that perhaps stifled his talent even more than we all realize. But still his talent shone through. Many lesser talented individuals would have long ago been forgotten by us if they had to deal with the pain and suffering that he experienced.<br />There's a lot of talk about how his talent ended after Thriller and some say it ended after Bad. I would ask people to look him up on You Tube and watch some of his live performances in concert, at MTV awards shows and Grammy Awards shows. He was a dynamo live on stage. I would say that yes, he was a very good dancer and a very good all around entertainer. He came along to revolutionize pop music during a time when music was going through a big change. He was right for his time, as Fred Astaire was right for his time.<br />Why is that everyone must denigrate Michael Jackson's talent? Don't let the controversy blind you from ignoring or lambasting a truly talented individual--because if you miss out on listening to his music and watching him dance, it's your loss. Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-52782109596432127402009-11-16T14:24:10.275-08:002009-11-16T14:24:10.275-08:00Great article. You stated that Jackson peaked at 2...Great article. You stated that Jackson peaked at 25 and his voice was average. I tend to disagree. <br /><br />1) His vocal range was greater than that of Astaire. He was known as a singer since childhood. Although Astaire's era was vastly different, strong vocalists were recognized for their talent. ie Sinatra. Jackson revolutionized song structure, harmonies, recording techniques, into his future records, while retaining "Pop Music" aesthetics, the strong rhythms and dancable feels, with technical precision. Unlike the fusion musicians, who's virtuosity is overshadowed by their technique, Jackson's energetic music kept the listener comfortable. Jackson's releases sold before people saw him dance. A testament to the strength of his voice and the strong production of the music.<br /><br />2) As for dancing, Astaire's versatility cannot be denied, but he was limited to the 50's era Musicals. He was never Pop icon. Jackson fused Astaire's moves with James Brown, Tap, African Rhythms, Break Dancing and other styles to produce a energetic, edgy, expressive art that no one had ever seen. He also brought this to a wider audience.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05908833629569764655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-23454532648704548902009-11-04T08:32:23.842-08:002009-11-04T08:32:23.842-08:00Thank you for that Liga. You broke it down pretty ...Thank you for that Liga. You broke it down pretty much the way I see it and quite frankly, the way it is. Steve I guess didn't do any research or haven't seen the countless live concert performances of this remarkable man. Dangerous, Smooth Criminal and of course the untouchable Billie Jean. Yes, Fred Astaire was genius, but so was Michael Jackson and I didn't think it was necessary to try and take that away from him. But it'll never happen. <br /><br />Humm, I wonder where Fred Astaire got his influence and inspiration from? Could it have been from some of the lesser known or even unknown black performers of his time? He had some pretty soulful moves in those dance steps. Bravo to him that he was able to pull it off. I am African American and back when we were little, Fred Astaire was one of my sister's favorite. At a time when the black and white movie was a bore to some of us, Fred Astaire stood out from the rest to her. :-) <br /><br />Fred Astaire even praised Michael for the gifted artist that he is. Michael Jackson will ALWAYS be the Greatest Entertainer of All Time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-58688580334382561832009-10-20T17:09:57.744-07:002009-10-20T17:09:57.744-07:00Your claim that MJ couldn't play an instrument...Your claim that MJ couldn't play an instrument is wrong. For MJ as a dancer, check out the Jackson's Variety show. You should also read up on Billie Jean being mixed 91 times. The fellow who did so has explained why.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-48975897386266128552009-09-03T06:10:40.506-07:002009-09-03T06:10:40.506-07:00I value everyone's opinion until it turns into...I value everyone's opinion until it turns into a judgment of others. There are many variables which come into play, affecting the lives and legacies of everyone. What is popular in one generation may survive the tastes of subsequent generations. Many seem believe accusations are the same as proof. People such as this should remain silent rather and open their mouths and confirm the obvious. I recall Astaire and Kelly were MJ's idols and he stated that given the change to spend time with those who had passed his choice would be 3 people - Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, & James Brown. MJ wrote one song we could all benefit from - Man In The Mirror. Take a look at your self and make the chnage. Our time on this earth is precious and short. Maybe it could best be spent loving others and building them up instead of taking pleasure in spreading hate and tearing others down. Pease - We Are The World!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com