If I intentionally made my face look like that, I hope you all would not allow your children near me.

After two or three nose jobs (not freakishly unusual in celebrity circles) his nose collapsed (happened to Jennifer Gray too but they could fix hers) and they've been tweaking ever since. And his tight skin looks like a burn victim -- which he is...

I'm not convinced it's all that intentional is all.

Yeah. As a single person that enjoys kids' company, I'd hate for it to look like I "enjoyed kids' company". But I also don't spend a lot of time stockpiling well, bait, to get them here, either.

I thought MJ was messed up back in what? '83? 84? when I saw the "Making of Thriller " He only seemed to react positively when he was being treated like a child. All the plastic surgery and going on national television saying that he likes to sleep with children has only made him more alien to me. I wouldn't want to be around him, much less leave children unsupervised with him.

And his tight skin looks like a burn victim -- which he is...

Nonsense. He sustained scalp burns, not facial burns.

he's a freak for any number of reasons.

But you're talking about people you know well, right?

That's true.

Also, I think MJ has exhibited poor judgement and really has no proper sense of boundaries with children. I think he's fucked up, and his actions and statements make it clear that he doesn't understand a single thing about a proper adult relationship with children. Whether he's molested kids or not, he shouldn't be cuddling with them in bed.

I'm sure Jackson's nose is part surgical tragedy and only part insane vanity. (Although I'm also sure it was more than 2-3 surgeries. I'm also sure his nose is not the only thing he's had chopped on.)

But, being a black man and turning white on purpose is either genius sociopolitical theatre, or deeply fucked up. Your first geuss doesn't count.

There's the chin, if nothing else.

It was sad. A friend loaned me a tape of his videos and the longer I watched the more I could see that it was like watching him flip out in time-lapse. And I don't know what parents are thinking but I wish I could believe it was all good stuff.

Trudy--I'm not saying that only perfect people should hang out with kids but that a little care needs to be taken. A problem my SiL had is that one of my nephew's friends has parents who are very nice people, but also big ole potheads. Does the SiL let him hang out at their house, knowing they approve of getting high and smoke in front of their own kids? She would have no problem hanging out with them herslef, but it's a different problem when it's her 12-year-old.

It's so damn tough to be a parent--you don't want to be limiting and paranoid, but at the same time you don't want to put your kid in harm's way.