Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was a celebrity and that can be difficult. Reporters and people can say things about you, things that aren't true, and everyone can get the wrong idea of who you are. Even if things are true, sometimes you don't want the world to know every ounce of your business.

Michael was one of those people that most people would look and say "wow." He was an amazing singer, dancer, songwriter, choreographer, entertainer, musician and person. And that's a lot of things for one man to be. I have obsessions. And when I get into something, I get really into them. I read books, get to know everything about them, talk about them constantly, and just think about them night and day. But, other than The Beatles, Michael is the biggest obsession yet. And I've never felt so connected to someone I've never met before.

There are so many reasons I feel connected to Michael. One, he was a child who was very different. He wasn't like other kids his age. Two, he got bullied. I got bullied by my peers, he got bullied by the world. People were and are still constantly misjudging him. And it makes me sad especially because I know how that can feel. It's especially hard for people who want to be themselves and aren't just trying to do what everyone else does.

My obsession all started when my dad saw "This is It." It's the movie that they made from Michael's rehearsals for the biggest concert in the history of the world. In these videos, he was 50. But man I'm telling you, this guy could move. It looked like he was 20 years old. And not only was he one of the greatest dancers in the world, he made up almost all of his moves and he choreographed it too. And on top of that, he wrote songs, sang so beautifully, and was the greatest entertainer of all time (in my opinion). Anyway, Dad kept going on about how great this movie was and how we had to see it. So finally it came out on DVD and we rented it. That night Annabel didn't want to see it. Shawn was a bit more open and I have to admit, I was kind of excited. I didn't know hardly anything about Michael Jackson and the only song I'd ever heard of his was Billie Jean and I loved it.

So, the whole family sat down and watched the movie and I fell in love with Michael Jackson and his music and his heart. In this movie, it shows who Michael truly was. And honestly, he's one of the sweetest people to ever walk the earth. Now I'm not saying I've met him or hung out with him, but I usually get a sense of people. And this is what my sense of him was. Michael was a very humble, sweet, sensitive person. He was in charge of this whole concert and created everything. But Michael never got frustrated. He was very calm and would say something like, "Could you make the bass a little louder? I couldn't hear it."

And they would reply, "Of course, Michael,"

And he would bow his head, and say, "Thank you, God bless you."
That was the kind of person he was.

But one of the things I admire most of all about him was his message. His message was very simple and had two main things. Number one, "It's all for love, L-O-V-E." Number two, "Heal the World." Those two messages are so powerful. And of all the famous people in the world, 90% of them make really bad choices of what to do with their fame. But 10% of them choose to do great things and help others with their fame and Michael is the person to admire most for doing that. And what makes me sad is that so many people believe everything they read in magazines and think he's some weirdo but he's not. He was an absolutely beautiful soul.

Michael could be sweet and soft, but he was so cool. It seemed like everything he did was cool. Every movement, every word. He loved animals and children because he said that they didn't judge you. They liked you for who you were.

And he was smart, but funny. He said, "Why not just tell people I'm an alien from Mars. Tell them I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight. They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter. But if I, Michael Jackson, were to say, 'I'm an alien from Mars and I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight,' people would say, 'Oh, man, that Michael Jackson is nuts. He's cracked up. You can't believe a single word that comes out of his mouth.'"

Michael had a real sweetness about him that was just amazing. He would say on stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people, "I love you." And some people have never had someone say, "I love you," to them.

Every human being makes mistakes and Michael did too, he wasn't perfect. But it's important for people to be able to accept people's mistakes and move on to love them.
I admire Michael for so many reasons - his compassion, his humility, his genius, his presence on stage. I wish so much to have those qualities like he did. And if there's one celebrity I want to be most like, with out a doubt or second thought, it would be Michael Jackson.

Michael, God bless you, I hope so much that you are happy wherever you are. And I hope you know how much so many people miss you, how many people you inspired, and how many hearts you touched.