Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett

Jen: I'm stunned after hearing about Michael Jackson's passing. I can't believe this happened the same day that we lose Farrah Fawcett. It truly is a sad day :(

Crystal: It's starting to sink in a little more now...the MJ thing at least. I wasn't as familiar with Farrah's work and so I don't think her death affected me AS MUCH as MJ's....

Dan and I were talking about it as we drove to the Palm Springs area this past Thursday as we were on the road and heard about MJ going to the hospital and then kept up on TMZ on my iphone to see the latest because I figured he was going to pass based on the reports.....this was basically like the Elvis or the Beatles of our generation....this was going to be one of those things 20 years from now where someone goes: 'where were you when Michael Jackson died?'....well we were driving to Indio, CA. for a vacation in the sun.

The one benefit from this whole thing is that I have re-fallen in love with so many of Michael's songs that I just haven't heard in ages. The whole weekend in Indio we watched videos on tv and listened to him on the radio...he was truly talented. I'm mostly disappointed that he will not be able to continue to make beautiful music for the world to hear...and that his children will grow up without a father...

...but otherwise, I feel that he lived a life that was filled with both good and bad....and that in his short 50 or so years he lived more than most of us....whether all of it was good is probably not the case, but perhaps he is happier now where he is. :)

Jen: Joe and I played his albums all day on Sunday, and I was a little surprised to find how much I still loved his music! I kind of figured that it was a phase when I was younger, but apparently not! I even tried my hand at Moon Walking (and failed!), and it hit hard that MJ was so very much like Elvis. Funny that he was married to Elvis' daughter!

What's truly sad was his horrid relationship with his father- the man who so obviously turned him into the idiosyncratic person that he was. It disturbs me that reports say his father was there when he died. I mean, MJ didn't even put him in his will, and that's coming from a VERY giving man! And now his father is using this publicity to plug his new record label. It makes me sick.

Crystal: LoL I would have loved to see you trying to moonwalk! :) And Dan said the same thing about his music...when we were listening to all the songs and videos he said he forgot how much he really liked MJ's music...he had thought maybe it was just a couple he liked, but then realized he liked just about every song being played. :)

I did find that really coincidental that he was married to Elvis' daughter....although a strange relationship and some think it was a publicity ploy...but who knows...she said it was real.

The whole father/son relationship between MJ and his dad is a strange one...I don't know what went on between them two...I've heard stories of abuse or just stage-dad drama....but sometimes I wonder if it went further than that just based on the way MJ was and his personality (what we could publicly see at least)....very strange, a little disturbing...mysterious, and we'll probably never know the true stories unless someone in the family publishes a tell-all memoir on their deathbed someday..............