No one deny's that MJ was an odd person. And no one really knows what happened between Michael and the children except for them. One thing that is absolute is that he changed the world with his music, dancing, music videos, and fashion.

The guy is making assumptions. We don't know if MJ was a child molester. I am taking a guess and saying he was not. He was just a guy who had a rough life, and was completely misunderstood. He was not convicted.

People give him attention because he was a great entertainer. He deserves the respect he is getting. Everyone has their own opinion, and my thing is innocent until proven guilty.

He was acquitted of the 2nd charge (and settled the 1st one) but I really don't know what's going within his world.
He was an odd bird, let's just say that. But I will give him credit as credit due, he was a great entertainer when he was alive.

I know how the media kept reporting everything with MJ in the past week as 'breaking news' LOL, but I was just talking to my M-I-L the other day, she said this happened during Elvis Presley's death as well. The whole week and some they can't stop talking about him on tv, so hey.

while i dont think he was a pedophile, i do however think he acted inappropriately with children, and i agree that the coverage on him is getting old, thank goodness his memorial is tomorrow and it can start to go away.

He just said that to get press for his campaign.

"May have been a good singer" and "did some dancing." Ha. They need this guy as a judge on American Idol next season. He'd give Simon a run on the nasty judging.

We'll probably never know what happened between MJ and those kids but his behavior reads as inappropriate and his choosing to settle instead of fight against the second set of charges seems to speak badly of his actions as well. Why settle if you are innocent? Sorry, if I were accused of pedophilia, I'd fight it tooth and nail, not settle for 13 million dollars, and I'm sure King feels the same way, hence his accusation. Just saying it's a pedophilia charge, not a speeding ticket -- such things shouldn't be dismissiblejust because money is thrown at them.

That said, MJ was a brilliant artist, bringing much to dance and music and it shouldn't be a surprise that people want to celebrate the good he did instead of the bad he has been accused of. It isn't so strange a thing.

I love Michael Jackson's music as much as the next person, but we aren't truly honoring his life if we don't recognize his many deep, dark flaws also. sure, Peter King may sound like an idiot, but he does raise a very valid point.

He was acquitted of the 2nd charge (and settled the 1st one) but I really don't know what's going within his world.

You can't settle in criminal court.

From what I remember, he was found not guilty (which doesn't mean he didn't commit the crime - it means that the state didn't prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt) --- but he paid out $25 million in the civil case.

We're all innocent until proven guilty. As far as I know, he was never convicted of these things, so it's a scurrilous thing to say.

Still. Michael Jackson has been supremely f-ed up the whole time I have been alive. I don't like his music, so to me he's always been something of a freak-show. I am sorry he's dead, as much as I'm sorry when any well-loved figure dies. But, he had no special place in my heart.

I think it's a huge, unimportant distraction.

Well, as christin said, we are quite not sure of what he did.
I just wanted to say that, we must all admit he had made great things in music and dance, and we comemorate his amazing talent.
However i'm tired to hear about him every day, every where -_-

He was acquitted of the 2nd charge (and settled the 1st one) but I really don't know what's going within his world.

The second family filed as a civil matter, didn't they? That's why there was a settlement.

Sorry, didn't know the exact wording to use (forgive my ignorance, runningesq, and others). Never said that he did molest or whatever, just said he was an unusual person (from my pov, by the way). I didn't even know how many families tried file lawsuit against him, I just heard of those 2 instances.
Was in a hurry, and yes, checking into my daily sugar is like what I always do just b4 I have to run out to do errands.

I guess I am pretty indifferent to the whole thing. Yes, he changed music and he has been so influential as an artist. But, I believe the Michael Jackson everyone is mourning is long gone. The 1982- Thriller Michael Jackson died long ago and he was never going to be the person we all have of him in our minds.

He was innovative. I wouldn't call him brilliant, but he was innovative. His music was catchy, he broke some barriers, and he's an important figure in our cultural history. But, does that excuse him from the negative things that he's done? Yes, he had an unfortunate relationship with his father, but just because there's a reason for his madness, does that excuse him from his actions? Dangling his child over a balcony, nearly dropping the child? Significant child molestation charges?

What I'm more concerned about is that television news, a media outlet that millions of people rely on as a primary news source (unfortunate as that may be), is spending so much time on Michael Jackson's death. The deaths of Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon--almost forgotten now. Civil unrest in Iran--almost forgotten. Honduran coup--underreported, despite civil unrest and violent military intervention. Uighur uprising in China--underreported, despite civil unrest and violent military intervention. ACES--underreported, despite being a historically significant bill, love it or hate it. There's a strong reason for this--when Michael Jackson died, CNN's ratings shot up ~400 percent.

What I'm concerned about is news that is controlled by ratings points, and in turn controlled by advertising revenue (which is itself a larger, terribly significant problem of the news media, and one reason why ACES is underreported). My television is currently turned on to CNN and the headline on the bottom the screen reads: "New Developments 'OMG, OMG I've Got Tickets,'" and a person being interviewed by a "reporter on the scene" questioning the person about her being a selected recipient of the golden ticket to Michael Jackson's memorial service. Meanwhile, real news is going on, marginalized by the over-representation of entertainment news.

He did have a definite effect on music, but like lemamike said, that MJ is gone, and the recent one was full of a weird darkness that should also be remembered.

Plus, I'm sick to death of hearing about him, day in and day out.

I COMPLETELY second this. It's incredibly disgusting that as a nation, we've pretty much shunned our backs on this man due to the fact that he was a (probable) pedophile and all-around creep, yet suddenly when he keels over (sorry) he's somehow synonymous with Ronald Reagan or Princess D. Makes no sense to me. Granted he was incredibly talented and an amazing performer, but Jesus Christ! I worry for America.

Alyssa, what exactly has Princess Di done for you? Nothing. She married into the English royal family, did some charity work, and died. Also, as for Ronald Reagan, he wasn't loved by everyone; yet, we had to watch endless coverage about him. Granted, he was president and all, but he wasn't loved by all. So, suck it up and deal. Also, you clearly don't speak for every American.

HoneyBrown, I would like to say that not everybody loved Michael Jackson either, and he never even ran a country or helped children with AIDS. He wrote some great music, but that was a long time ago. He became a freak and I am sick of hearing about him. You clearly don't speak for every American either.

I agree with alyssa and the senator. Maybe what he said was a bit harsh, but this overexposure about him now is just obnoxious. Three weeks ago barely anyone gave two sh*ts about him because he was such a freak. Now that he died he's the greatest musician of all time. It's ridiculous. He was talented. But like lemamike said, that Michael Jackson has been gone for awhile now. Let it go. He died. So do thousands of innocent people, who don't squander their fortune and live in some alternate fantasy, do everyday. No one is crying for them. America has some serious moral evaluating to do if this is the thing that gets shoved to the top of the news stories and stays there for days on end.

I think it says more about us that we mourn the death of a stranger as much as much as (or more than) we mourn the deaths of people we know.

Also, totally seconding what Phil said.

I think that this Congressman is extremely disrespectful and inflammatory. All opinions aside regarding MJ, he just died...pick a more appropriate time to spew your venom. Clearly, we are not "too" poltically correct, as so eloquently demonstrated by this individual.

its always a shock when such a public figure suddenly dies.

We could not confirm him as a pedophile in court so you can't really call him that without putting alleged in front of it. Yes the coverage is a little old but When John Lennon died, I am sure that people got sick of coverage of him too.

We spent soo much time in the last decade vilifying him that we forgot about some of the better thing he did like his charity work for AIDS and famine relief.

Well, I guess it does not surprise me that a politician is saying this stuff. Ya know, Michael was acquitted of all charges. And there were no other people coming forward with allegations from 1993-2004 or since. That is fact. Think a free pedophile can only molest two boys and all of a sudden stop? Really now...Politicians should be upholding the very foundation for which this country was built. If I were to say Mr. King should keep his opinions to himself, then I would be denying him his freedom of speech. We all have a right to think what we may. I have no problem with his opinion, and I comfortably withold my own regardless of what others say. But is it politically correct to make those statements as a man of power and position when the man he is commenting on was acquitted in the manner he stated it? If it were someone of power and position saying this about Mr. King by means of mass media, he would be sueing for slander, deformation of character - his statements are declarations as if it were the truth but was only his opinion- however, some nut is going to take that for truth thinking Mr. King had evidence no one else knew. The truth is Michael was found not guilty on all counts in a US court of law. MJ deserves to be recognized for his life's work and he also deserved such a final service- millions loved him. I don't see many donating 300 million of their life's work to over 39 charities and causes just so another can have some kind of chance at life, love and happiness. Michael is not in the Guinness Book for nothing, did not receive over 140 awards for nothing, did not sell 750 million records for nothing and somehow MJ's achievements were overshadowed by people like Mr. King. And unless Mr. King has new evidence that is true...leave Michael alone.