RIP Farrah & The King of Pop

This week was pretty bad in the World of Hollyweird. I was at work on Thursday when the news of Farrah Fawcett's passing came down through Twitter-world. That saddened me. Then just a few hours later word of MJ being rushed to hospital started making it's way around the interweb. I didn't take it super seriously and will own up to making a few "Karma is a b*tch" quips to those around me - and on Facebook. But then when TMZ announced he was gone. Holy Mother. Now, I have fairly strong opinions about MJ and his past, but I do not wish death on anyone. And for TMZ to now be the "news agency" to break this story? My brain can't compute that. Someone on Twitter made a great comment that they wished that MJ had tweeted to announce the death of TMZ instead of the other way around. It was awesome. And true I guess. I feel so much for his children. Their father was their world. their mother was not involved in their lives as far as I know and to be there when it happened. Poor munchkins.

Farrah - Charlie's Brightest Angel

Farrah Fawcett lost a long battle with Anal Cancer on Thursday, surrounded by many of her loved ones including Ryan O'Neal who had become her rock during this very public battle with a rare form of cancer. They reunited when she was diagnosed in 2006, and had planned to remarry when Farrah was able. Sadly it was not to be so. I do not believe their son Redmond was there when she passed.

Farrah rose to stardom in the 70's as one third of Charlies Angels, and shocked Hollyweird when she left the top-rated show after one season to pursue a movie career. Sadly fame and fortune on the big Screen never materialised, but she did garner critical acclaim for her roles in a number of made for TV movies such as 1984's The Burning Bed, 1986's Extremities and 1992's Small Sacrifices.

After her diagnosis, Farrah vowed to fight with everything she had to not let this rare form of Cancer beat her. Fiercely private she documented her struggles and treatments in a documentary that aired on NBC.

I am a little young to be one of the Charlies Angels generation - have caught up in reruns thankfully - but I do remember Farrah in her miniseries hey-day. The Burning Bed and Small Sacrifices in particular. She played the ultimate victim who took control of her life from an abusive husband in The Burning Bed and completely turned it around as a mother who callously discards her children for the love of a a man in Small Sacrifices.

She was bright and beautiful and her smile seemed to be able to light up all those around her. She fought hard & brought this rare form of cancer to the forefront of peoples minds. Come on, tell me you didn't snicker just a little when you hears that she had "butt-cancer" - we all did. But she fought so hard and for so long. Rest Sweet angel. Wherever you are, I hope it is a good place.

The King of Pop

I tried explaining to my Aunt on Thursday night that MJ was my generations Elvis. We will all remember where we were when we heard the news. Much like 9-11 or Princess Diana, I will always remember who was there when it happened (sorry LP, you are stuck with being in my head forever). She didn't get it. She doesn't have kids, so I guess that is why. But MJ was totally our Elvis. He changed the face of music forever and broke down so many barriers for black artists. He was so amazingly talented as a singer, songwriter, performer, visionary.

If I remember only this part of him, I can grieve for MJ. As long as I don't think about the rest of it - the court battles, the "wacko jacko" stuff, the surgeries, the all around crazy - I can truly grieve for this extraordinary man. And I truly hope that this is what he is remembered for. Cause in this respect he was amazing. In spite of all of his faults and eccentricities, he was one of the greatest performers ever.

I loved Thriller - who didn't. I was about 10 or 11 when it came out and I have a story about it. I lived in a culdescac and there were 4 of us girls all around the same age living in the same street - weird enough on its own right. So as most girls are, we were little b*tches and would basically rotate who was on the outs with us. That girl on the outs was studiously ignored by the others, wasn't allowed to climb "our" tree and was basically as ostracised as a child can be. One particular instance I remember vividly was taping my own voice using the words at the end of Thriller - you know the "Darkness falls across the land......." bit and putting it in Hayley's mailbox to scare her. Srsly. That is what I did to another human being. Ugh. Kids are so stupid and mean. In today's world though, there would be nekkid photos texted, emailed, posted on facebook or tweeted to everyone we knew. But it was a horrible thing to do and if Hayley ever reads this, I am sorry for being such an insecure little b*tch that I felt the need to tear you down to hide my own issues.

I have opinions about the private stuff - I think his behaviour with children was inappropriate, but criminal? I don't know. I think he must have been hiding some intense personal baggage to want to undergo that much surgery to hide who he really was, and I still don't know if I believe that he had that Vitilgo skin thing. I think he was an incredibly screwed up man, who was intensely shy and eccentric. But whose fault was that? His father? The press? Us? I don't know. This story is far from over.

The one thing I do hope is that his kids will be given some privacy and respect during this time.

I will be remembering this Michael Jackson - The King of Pop - And I hope that he is finally able to Rest in Peace

XO