Jackson Death: How do you feel about it?

[ZenGum]

Via the ABC

A deluge of search queries for Michael Jackson led Google News, the news aggregator of Web search engine Google, to initially believe it was under attack, the internet giant said on Friday (local time).

Google, in a blog post on the company website, said that "millions and millions" of people around the world begin searching for news about the pop star on Thursday as reports emerged about his hospitalisation and death.

It rated the "hotness" of Jackson-related searches as "volcanic."

"The spike in searches related to Michael Jackson was so big that Google News initially mistook it for an automated attack," Google said.

"As a result, for about 25 minutes yesterday, when some people searched Google News they saw a 'We're sorry' page before finding the articles they were looking for," it said.

The "We're sorry" page tells users their query "looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application" and forces them to type in a series of squiggly characters before it will process their request.

Popular micro-blogging service Twitter also suffered a slowdown in performance on Thursday as users exchanged thousands of messages per minute about Jackson's death at the age of 50.

Web portal AOL said its AIM instant messaging service was down for about 40 minutes.

Yahoo! said the news area on its front page received five times its normal traffic and its front page story "Michael Jackson rushed to hospital" was its "highest clicking story" ever with 800,000 clicks within 10 minutes.

- AFP

[Sundae]

Michael Jackson called himself the King of Pop. Okay, it was the media that made it stick, but I do think it's a cheat all the same. Like Ol' Blue Eyes. I'm trying to think up a nickname for myse;f that I can pass around too... Answers on a postcard, the judge's decision is final.

Anyway.
I've never been a Jackson fan. Didn't like the way he danced or the way he sang. His voice was too high, his trousers too tight, his pelvic thrusts and crotch-grabbing frankly unsettling. And I didn't like his enunciation. I have more misheard lyrics from Michael Jackson songs than all the rest of my misheard lyrics put together.

For example Annie are you okay as Annie are you walking and Keep on with the force don't stop as Get on to the Post Office. Even when I heard the lyrics they made little sense to me (dance on the floor in a round?)

My teen friends and I assumed he was gay. I judged him on that, because at the time I still thought it was a kind of deviancy. I laughed when he got married - what?! It was so obvious! Looking back I can still see that his style of dress, speech, dance and affectations were signs that something unhealthy was going on inside. It's just that now I have the sense to realise that being gay can be perfectly healthy, and it's unlikely to have been his issue anyway.

Do I think he had paedophilic tendencies? No, actually. I think his monstrous lifestyle warped his ability to experience real love and relationships. I don't think it necessarily translated into a sexual desire for children. In a more innocent time he would just have been an eccentric recluse. Then again, in a more innocent time he wouldn't have had the worldwide success that damaged him/ freed him to behave the way he wanted to.

I'm already tired of the tributes. I've just Sky-plused a load of episodes of Britain's Next Top Model to watch until it's safe to come out again. At least no-one is calling these girls geniuses.

[slang]

Hearing that he had died was a shock. I'm a bit sad for his family but not quite to tears.

IMO he was a pedophile. No, he was not convicted. What normal man has sleepovers and the like with kids.

Sure, he was "just a nice guy", you say. OK. You keep believing that and my opinon hasn't changed.

To his credit however, I never saw him truly angry. He had become a joke to many people with his legal and financial troubles but never seemed to have anything bad to say about anyone. Never seemed to get mad.

It seems to me that he didn't really have any issues with anyone....but himself ( plastic surgery and all )

Did I miss some fit of outrage at some point?

The timing of his death was also bad. Just before redeeming himself ( professionally anyway ) .

He was a very strange man but I'm sorry to see him pass.

[TheMercenary]

Somone has a sense of humor:

GOP Offers ‘Michael Jackson’ Cap & Trade Alternative
by Scott Ott for ScrappleFace · 18 Comments · · Print This Story
(2009-06-27) — Senate Republicans today introduced an “innovative alternative” to the 1,300-page cap-and-trade climate change bill which passed the House 219-212 virtually-unread Friday night as the nation sat transfixed by wall-to-wall coverage of the death of an iconic pop singer.

Supporters said the GOP-sponsored ‘Michael Jackson Energy Act’ will clear away a raft of environmental regulations that currently discourage construction of nuclear power plants, and will spark energy independence while reducing emissions of so-called greenhouse gases.

The 1,897-page Michael Jackson Energy bill includes more than a thousand pages of uninformed speculation about the cause of the performer’s death, gossip about the nature of his relationships with various adults and children, along with sweeping statements about his impact on the history of the world.

The bill includes a DVD tribute to Mr. Jackson, as well as dozens of before-and-after photos of his various bouts with cosmetic surgery. In addition, to a full-length foldout ‘Thriller’ poster, the bill contains several pages of language removing government-imposed barriers to the growth of a thriving private-sector nuclear energy industry.

“Although the substantive bipartisan opposition to the House cap-and-trade bill failed to capture the nation’s attention,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY, “we’ve learned from our mistakes, and know how to present our alternative legislation in a way that will matter to the mainstream media.”

[Undertoad]

You know MJ gets far too much credit for Thriller. Quincy Jones produced it, brought in top people to play on it and top engineers to record and mix it. MJ wrote half the songs on it, but you know those songs were fleshed out in the studio. For example, MJ is credited with "Beat It", but he didn't know what guitarist would be brought in to do the signature solo. MJ wrote "Billie Jean" but the engineer created the signature drum sound. Guys from Toto, who were long-time serious studio guys, wrote "Human Nature", and you can tell.

MJ had a remarkable voice at the time, and little vocal signature moves that were genius. He could dance like a mothafucka, and he still had enough shit together to be creative about things like that. I guess if there's no MJ, it's not a phenomenon, but there must be about 100 people who contributed to Thriller and made it what it was. Team effort.

[Alibar]

He lived a life far removed from mine and I was sorry for him when it was obvious he was mental about his nose. He was so very talented, but, became a freak. Saw a photo of his children. All three are attractive. I liked his music and danced to it many a night back in the day. LOL

[FuglyStick]

We put too much value in the lives of celebrities. Michael Jackson contributed far more than the likes of, say, Anna Nicole Smith, but the media is responsible for blowing both deaths way out of proportion.

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by FuglyStick

We put too much value in the lives of celebrities. Michael Jackson contributed far more than the likes of, say, Anna Nicole Smith, but the media is responsible for blowing both deaths way out of proportion.

Sadly, the media is giving the people what they want. If no one paid attention, they wouldn't cover it because no one would be watching.

[TheMercenary]

That's only cause Farah couldn't dance.

[Flint]

thread doubleplus ungood refs unpersons

[capnhowdy]

..you gotta be kiddin me.

[ZenGum]

From here.

[Chocolatl]

My reaction was "Oh! That sucks." And then I moved on.

I was momentarily saddened for his children and family -- as someone said earlier, it's always hard to lose a family member. I think he contributed a fair bit to music and dance, but I've never been a big fan. I hope he's at peace.

[Shawnee123]

I was watching some videos that were on yesterday. Whether you like that style of dance or not, you can't deny how freaking good he was. He did moves people still can't figure out.

But, I'm a big fan of great dancing, from Fred & Ginger to MJ.

[York]

I loved him when i was a kid. ABC, The Wiz, Captain EO , Moonwalker.... All great stuff , full of fantasy like his Neverland. I guess he was a big (rich) kid and people will always try to take bits of that wealth! After "Bad" i found him getting weird and yep.... wacked! But his music was great , wether he made it or just sang it!
The Martin Bashir story shocked the world and more people suspected him on things never proven. I could understand more after the American interview... He just got lived and never had a real youth... But he was a great entertainer and ill miss him!