Comments on Getafilm: Underrated MOTM (Special Edition): The Truman Show...

Thanks, MovieMan, and for those two really interes...

2009-07-13T13:07:23.132-05:00

Thanks, MovieMan, and for those two really interesting points. I've found myself still listening to a lot of his music as well, and actually digging a lot deeper into music from the Jackson 5 and The Jacksons, in the process discovering that he was even bigger and better than I originally understood growing up. I admit part of it is nostalgia, but part of it is also being older and knowing a lot more about music (and maybe a little more about life), and recognizing that he had literally no equal in the celebrity or entertainment world for a full decade, right at the peak of his career.

I'm glad the media coverage has died down at this point since there's nothing new to report and it really makes no difference who gave him what medicine when or why. However, I'll admit that I'd still like to see some of the HD footage from those final dress rehearsals for the "This Is It" tour, if only to appreciate how much stage presence and energy he still had.

Great piece - really compelling. That quote is ast...

2009-07-11T23:04:49.215-05:00

Great piece - really compelling. That quote is astonishing if it's true (and quite well-written if it's not!).

A few minor correctives, though - Jackson was famous from about 10 rather than 5 - but I think it wasn't so much the fame as the pressure to succeed and then to sustain success that did him in, and this WAS present from the age of 5. In fact, his childhood may have been even more disturbing than it would have been for a 5-year-old icon, as he was running around the stages of sleazy stip joints grabbing change from customers. As some commentators in Time Magazine have pointed out, he lived an adult life as a child...no wonder he wanted to become a child as an adult.

Also, I think Britney DID have a drug/alcohol problem, and Jackson, while avoiding the traditional coke-and-boze route, seems to have numbed the pain with an immense amount of prescription meds, which may have even led to his death. But the difference is interesting and still confirms your point - Jackson's drug use was not about partying or "expanding his mind" but about hiding from reality.

Enjoyed both your MJ posts. Weeks after his death, I find I'm still thinking about the man, the music, and the legacy. The reverberations of this event have been unexpectedly profound.

Thanks, Hokahey. Naturally, his death made me more...

2009-07-02T00:10:51.677-05:00

Thanks, Hokahey. Naturally, his death made me more sensitive about his life and work than I may have been a week ago, but for years I've held to the theory that he was truly desperate for a sense of identity, and that was the root of all the craziness.

It just boggles my mind to think about how, from age 5 to at least 35, he was living life as an icon. Not a kid, or a teen, or an adult, or a husband or father. Seriously, at 24 he's learning about "people" and "friendship", and describes everything away from the stage as "foreign"?! What a life.

As far as Britney Spears goes, I'm nowhere near as sensitive to her plight, which admittedly has also been grossly over-publicized. Although she was a child star, I don't think her career will ultimately be worth a fraction of MJ's. Additionally, I have zero respect for her music or artistry, and I would argue that although she - like MJ - has impressively avoided drug and alcohol problems to this point, she seems to have carried the mantle of celebrity a little more willingly than MJ did.

But yeah, I agree with your point that people are way more invested in her life than they have any decent reason to be.

I really enjoyed your comparison between Jackson a...

2009-07-01T19:01:30.276-05:00

I really enjoyed your comparison between Jackson and Truman. From the first time I saw it, I loved The Truman Show - especially the whole question of reality in Truman's life. Meanwhile, no matter how weird Jackson got, I've always been sympathetic to him - and I think you present a very sensitive portrayal of him here.

Around the time of the trial, I heard so many cruel Michael Jackson jokes and I really got tired of them. And I was never a big fan - it's just that I empathize with a person who suffers the negative side of publicity and fame and the expectations of a country-full of fans.

"We made him, bought him, sold him, abused him (know the background on "Billie Jean"?), scolded him, celebrated him, provoked him, and in many cases, literally bowed down and worshiped him:"

Very well said! (Also, sounds like the same sort of thing that Britney Spears has suffered - and I empathize with her as well>).

Once again, this is a sensitively written post.

Cheers, Hatter. Like I said, originally I was goin...

2009-06-30T13:48:31.776-05:00

Cheers, Hatter. Like I said, originally I was going to leave my MJ thoughts offline as I leave so many other non-movie related thoughts offline, but what the heck, it came together even if it is a little scattered.

And funny that you mention EDTV, because I absolutely considered bringing that into the conversation. But then, I can't (or rather, didn't want to) defend that movie. Not a bad pick for another Underrated MOTM, though, since you're right that it's in one way much more prophetic and realistic than Truman. Notice what I said about NON-celebrity idolization at the beginning, too...ugh...

But as far as MJ goes, The Truman Show was his life, from near-birth to post-death.

Great post! I've had one or two conversations abo...

2009-06-30T13:31:35.103-05:00

Great post!

I've had one or two conversations about Michael, but only one or two...and I made a conscious choice not to blog about him. But if I had - I'd hope I could come up with something as apropos and relevant as this.

As for THE TRUMAN SHOW, while I agree with you that it is brilliant, and perhaps underrated, the really prophetic movie would come nine months later, when ED TV hit screens.

It's silly, has some bad acting, and doesn't hold a candle to TRUMAN as a complete film...but holy hell was the concept of making a TV show where some sap is follwed around during their day-to-day prophetic!