I think most people who turn into characatures started out with some actual substance, which remains under the Image. I mean, look at Jerry Springer.

I cannot see Al Sharpton without remembering that during the Tawana Brawley incident one of the local news stations in NY did an interview with his hairdresser, and the hairdresser showed the television audience the hair rollers that she used to style his hair. It was bizarre.

My sister in LA is sick of the MJ coverage, and is complaining that she won't be able to find anything out about the CA budget until the question of whether or not he will be buried at Neverland is solved. She's a professor in the community college system, and they've cut 50% of classes for the Fall semester as a way to start dealing with the problem, so she's much more interested in the budget than MJ.

It turns out, though, that my BiL (a chemistry professor at the same community college) had Debbie Rowe's lawyer as a student once.

Abusive father? Growing up in the spotlight? Being the family's meal ticket?

But are the those the things to which Al Sharpton was referring in front of his family? Like wasn't his abusive father there? That's why I was so confused.

I'm no fan of Sharpton, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't believe Michael molested anybody. I know many people do, but those that don't aren't going to explain it each and every time they compliment the man. I think you can trust that if someone says "Michael got a raw deal" they think Michael got a raw deal.

As far as "nothing wrong with their Daddy" there were pretty constant critiques of him as a freak well before and after anyone alleged anything illegal. He was a fag, he spoke like a woman, he was trying to be white, he tried to buy the elephant man's bones, his children aren't his children, he and his sister are the same person, and on and on and on. "Wacko Jacko" iirc, predates a kid being doped up on sodium penathol and "questioned" by his Father who then openly bragged about how he was going to get millions out of Jackson.

there were pretty constant critiques of him as a freak well before and after anyone alleged anything illegal.

Building Neverland, the chimp, appearing in public in surgical masks -- pretty much anything that the average non-superstar *doesn't* do got him labelled as a freak.

And I think it was excellent of Sharpton to address Michael's kids that way.

And the guy literally couldn't cross the street without attracting a crowd. That's got to get rough after ten or twenty years.

She's a professor in the community college system, and they've cut 50% of classes for the Fall semester as a way to start dealing with the problem, so she's much more interested in the budget than MJ.

K-Bug goes to Sonoma State and they just instituted a maximum of 15 credits per semester. She took 19 last semester. To say she is frustrated is putting it mildly.

I can't remember who it was that posted how you could make chicken stock in the crock pot/slow cooker. I think Jessica or megan. Either way - whoever it was is like unto a god in our house. I brined a chicken and then roasted it last night. I took the carcass and the juices and put them in the crockpot with celery bits, onion, and whole peppercorns and let it simmer all night. This produced two things: a fantastic smelling house this morning and very odd dreams about me, a very tall rap singer to whom I became "body man" to, and turkey.

OTOH, I will be making chicken corn chowder when I get home with the leftover corn on the cob and baked potatoes from last night. Nom nom nom.

So, Thank you wonderful Hivemind!!

I was on the road much of yesterday so the only parts I saw of the MJ thing was Sharpton and Brooke Shields (at lunch in an Applebee's), then a constant loop on CNN in the airport of their favorite moments. Brooke Shields sounded like she genuinely understood him and was a real friend. Too bad he didn't have more real friends and fewer leeches. The sad mess will continue to be featured on the news all summer.

I missed it all yesterday.

In exciting to me news, my vacations starts right around the time of Jilli's NYC book signing/tea party, so I'm going. Yay! I just have to do some schedule wrangling to see if I can pull off Friday night. We'll see...

In less exciting news, I have to go get ready for work now.