Source: Inner Michael – Reprinted By Permission of the Author

Source: Inner Michael – Reprinted By Permission Of The Author

To the people who really know Michael Jackson—I mean the ones who know his vibe, the loss is far greater than the sum of its parts. Michael represented something important, something they can’t put their finger on, something that is wordless, gossamer, luminous; something fresh, innocent. Something intangible left the world when Michael did.

For some, Michael re-remembers their youth and a time when things were in some ways, so much less complicated. It was a simpler life then, the edges not as sharp, the landscape not as jagged. Michael was a trigger for the memory of a feeling trapped in time, a feeling of unencumbered and pure being.

For some new to Michael’s legacy, the mourning is for the lost opportunity to have loved him and his work in a pure and honest way. Some weren’t compelled to look into the Michael Jackson story until after his passing. They feel cheated because they missed him and the opportunity to follow his work while he was here and alive and now it is too late to say “thank you” and “I appreciate you” because he is gone.

Some are feeling sorrow about their complicity and about believing or half believing the media’s distorted version of who Michael Jackson was—you know, the Wacko part. They have since found out that there was nothing amiss about Michael Jackson and that the portrait painted of him in words through the last two decades was contrived fiction. That caricature portrayal of Michael Jackson was the result of some kind of insane hysteria that permeated the culture for some reason not as yet understood. It resembles the days of Salem Witch Trials where everyone was caught up in fear and hysteria. Some old enough to remember the Red Scare and McCarthyism or who have studied it might remember how that accusatory finger pointed every direction and called people “communists!” The frenzied “outing” of communists among us destroyed lives and many entertainers were blacklisted.

There is such a thing as “stirring it up” and “working people into a frenzy.” Hitler was a master at it. There is an art to leading the masses to salivate over more of what titillates. There are those who incite hatred and offer an opportunity to exercise righteous indignation aimed at another individual or culture. That is how people become dehumanized and nations are made enemies. The practice of tribalism or making someone a foreign “other” can provide a diversion and brings relief from all things uncomfortable: boredom, apathy, guilt, shame, oppression, despair, responsibility and in particular—self-examination. It always seems that those who are quick to be self-righteous and to judge another or look for any potetially dark information in the lives of others are the very ones who most need to look at the tendencies of the black heart within self. If they point fingers can they lead unexamined lives themselves? Is that why they do it? In the afterward of Michael’s passing, those who actually personally knew him have a much different kind of testimony about who he was than those who poked fun or “exposed” him. Those who knew him called him an “angel walking the earth.” Those who wrote about his life from the outside and wanted to make a buck off him left the human part of him on the cutting room floor with clever editing or filled their books with innuendo and slander. As we already know “we see the world not as it is but as who we are being.” Not only does the world look dark to those opportunists but everybody is examined through those night vision lenses. Their constructed biography of Michael Jackson is actually a confession of their own blind autobiography. They perpetuated the myths for a reason– to avoid self examination by throwing others under the bus and then gleefully watching the bodies being dragged through the streets of public opinion. It’s a gladiator pastime that takes the focus off self and where our own integrity fails to hold up under scrutiny. As humanity evolves spiritually their projection and treachery will reveal itself; it’s only a matter of time until the real “accusor game” is exposed for what it is– a confession.

People have been ruined or killed by mass delusions that point fingers, by out-of-control and mentally unbalanced ecosystems, and a frenzied and seductive illusion of power. The whole celebrity fascination was punctuated in a recently overheard conversation at the checkout counter in the supermarket: a mother scanned the tabloid smorgasbord before her, chose one and threw it into her cart while saying to her young daughter “When I read this stuff about these celebrity people, it makes me feel better about my life.” In that one simple act, that parent taught her daughter that when despairing about her ordinary life reading about someone else’s manufactured missteps will make her feel better. Is the insanity in that actually that hidden? What that mother could have said was “you can make of your life anything you want; you can use your talent to contribute something unique to the world that only you and your one precious life can bring.” She could have taken that teachable moment to inspire, not expire unborn dreams. That is what Michael Jackson did for children his whole life. How ironic that he became The yellow press’s most sought after and maligned “breaking story.”

The mother doesn’t realize that she is supporting and promoting the slaying of real people—their careers, their relationships, their self esteem, their openness, and sometimes their very lives as in the case of Lady Diana who died in a crash while being chased by paparazzi snapping her picture for those very gossip “newspapers.” She paid for the privilege of aiding in the mangling of humans. And she just passed that privilege on to the next generation.

How sad that we seem to clamor for glamour but we tend to envy those who live the glamorous life. Sometimes we acctually succumb to the urge to destroy what we covet. The Michael Jackson shadow legend was build on presumption and innuendo, supported by an appetite for human shadow. It was constructed from the projection of our own and denied shadow. It’s the collective of that dark mental morass played out in mass consciousness and heaped upon one individual. “Here” the world said “carry my shadow for me, Michael. I can’t bear to look at my own inner darkness so be a dear and carry it for me, will you; carry it for us.” The world has never have seen anything like it. I hope it never does again. It was like a dark seductive orgy that caught many in the frenzy of it.

For some fans, there is a bit of shame and some guilt about not being there for Michael in his darkest hour. When he was going through the accusations and especially the trial with the world watching, they were busy with their lives and may have even given some credence to the media reports about his potential guilt. Now that they realize the magnitude of what he went through and it impact on him, they regret not having stood steadfast beside him either in body or in spirit in his time of greatest need.

There is anger with those who brought frivolous charges against him for whatever their twisted reasons. And there is a long line of culpable individuals that include those who wanted to conscript his name, image, reputation or whatever piece of him they could, to secure their own vicarious fame; there are those who were seduced by the checkbooks of journalists who paid for the juiciest stories from those willing to fabricate them for a buck. The tabloids and their lack of ethics and human decency that have no integrity and no remorse and apparently no conscience because they publish huge headlines and tell outrageous untruths about real people with deference to that dismemberment of flesh and blood and bone beings. Retractions are few and if admitted at all, are featured on the back pages. Exploiting people for entertainment and profit in this most visible this way is nothing less than bullying—that takes place on a world stage.

Fans are angry with a public that shamed and disdained a Michael Jackson who betrayed his race by “bleaching his skin and turning white,” this criticism leveled at Michael by both races—by blacks and whites. How dare this Negro child with the chocolate skin deliberately attempt to become White and try to pass himself off as another race! And how dare this African American male have the audacity to date and marry White women! How dare he be so “uppity!” (Remember that word?) And when Michael confessed his disease, Vitiligo, the media used words like “claims to have a skin disease that turns his skin white.”Cartoonists, journalists and late night comics made fun publicly of a man dealing with a life altering illness, one that threatened his life from sun poisoning, required his living under an umbrella and threatened his career as a very visible performer. Michael’s Vitiligo Universalis was confirmed at autopsy. Vitiligo is genetic and incurable and can be life threatening. Would these same commentators make fun of someone who claims to have cancer or Lou Gehrig’s disease?

There were those who made fun of his face—the only one he had to present to the world; part of the body that he used as a canvas to make art and to strive for aesthetic perfection with makeup and superstar costume having a flair for the drama in art. And then there is the mask: the only thing that allowed him respite and a barrier to the constant flashbulbs and stolen moments from a man with the most famous face and no privacy anywhere in the world. And they used any excuse to feature a momentary lapse in the “entertainer face” that he presented and represented to the world to accompany it with a scandalous headline. Is it any wonder the man wore the mask often? It was a way to shut out the world and keep those who siphon life and images for profit at arms length. The most famous face in the world had to hide behind a mask for a modicum of simple sovereignty and privacy. And they made fun of that too.

So add to this mix, the ingredients of gender bias and race stirred into a cultural soup that we were served up and add a dash of homophobia and paranoia. Every age has its issues and buzz and buzz words. Every generation has its opportunities to add to its knowledge base. These days it’s ADD and ADHD, short attention spans, medications for kids, a lack of connection to the natural world and human touch, the influence of video games and the impact of these influences on young minds. Michael’s peak difficulties in his life came on the heels of a cultural focus on the shocking discovery that the incidence of child abuse and particularly sexual exploitation of children was greater than was humanly fathomable. The body of knowledge surrounding the issue was expanding exponentially: In rural America, the numbers of the abused were staggering; there was the unthinkable revelation that clergy had abused children as well as other professions that were supposed stewards for youth; the Mc Martin school travesty was prominent in the headlines and anyone crying “child abuse” was automatically believed while the accused occupied an immediate place of loathing and contempt in the human mind— both individually and collectively. (The Mc Martin school personnel were accused of running a child abuse ring and the case went on for 10 years and eventually all persons accused were found not guilty of any criminal acts against children.)

In psychiatry and mental health at that time, the buzz was recovered memories, false memory syndrome, satanic ritual abuse and a raging debate whether therapists could plant memories by suggestion. The topic du jour was child molestation and the culture reeled in the aftermath of its unearthing as a common phenomenon. Accusations flew wildly and divorcing partners used the opportunity to accuse in order to slant custody battles in their favor. Michael was unfortunate to be accused during a time when the collective eyes of people were on the very issue with which he was accused because he wouldn’t submit to the demands of those around him who wanted to pry something from him—to profit in some way from their associations with him. Michael’s business associates and friends have said that the cases of attempted extortion numbered around 50 per year. Michael Jackson had deep pockets and as seductive as vicarious fame is, the seduction of money is greater. Because he was so famous, he was a target for multitudes of opportunists all his life. Want to ruin someone’s life? Extort money with a threat? Accuse them of carnal exploitation of children. The media focused on the accused not those accusing who had histories of bad behavior and shakedowns. Those headlines, after all, sold newspapers; charges of innocence or extortion did not.

So now teachers are afraid to touch students; doctors dare not enter an exam room without a nurse present; children if they are hugged or cuddled at all only get it from their parents because they are “off limits” to Boy Scout leaders and clergy and extended family. They are all touch hungry and hug deprived. People Facebook or text each other instead of dropping by for a chat. Have you witnessed people texting each other who are in the same building? Or encountered two people sitting in a restaurant and one is on the cell phone while the other is texting? Children prefer to be inside where all the plugs are for their digital lives rather than exploring the out doors or walking in the forest. Lyrics sexualize and dehumanize making people objects instead of blood and bone. We don’t know the long term effects of our self imposed fear and isolation. It’s already playing out in the lack of love and empathy and the rise in the incidence of bullying. Adults are shocked by the behavior of children that they are learning from adult role models. Michael befriended many youngsters and visited many schools where problems surfaced from bullying and abuse. Dave Dave burn victim and Ryan White who was ostracized by peers because he had AIDS come to mind and so does a secret visit to a school after a terroist shooting there. There are many hundreds of these stories all over the world. Michael just never took a camera crew or spoke about it. The fans know, however.

The betrayals in Michael’s life caused him to back away from and not trust adults because of the suffering from their assaults on his personhood, reputation, career, music, appearance, and yes his soul—for in his soul, he was a piper and voice for disenfranchised children. Neverland had become its own caricature yet Michael built it for children, to be able to share it with children who would otherwise never have a taste of magic in their lives. He knew his impact on children. He knew he was a cultural icon and he understood his influence and his role. He said “I am not that important, but Michael Jackson is.” He was speaking of the persona he became on stage, the one children were enamored with and what he represented to children—a larger than life figure and hero who had arrived through his own talent and hard work. He was magic to children. Neverland was more a myth than a playground because of what it represented to children and childhood.

Michael simply loved children in a wholesome and tender way. He loved them in a way that we all should. His character did not hold dark thoughts or exploitative tendencies. He gifted a quarter of a billion dollars to children through his philanthropic projects. He personally visited children the world over who were sick or injured or dying, and the disadvantaged or disenfranchised. He personally paid for medical equipment, surgeries, limbs, transplants and yes—funerals. He was a quiet crusader privately and a public one on stage—all for children and for love.

There is not enough love in this world. That untenable reality is driven home daily by the lashing out of those in misery, by neighborhood and gang violence, the visits to emergency rooms, the number of deaths from starvation and the specter of war. Michael knew that the world lacked love and he preached it in his lyrics, his actions, his work, his life and in the legacy he leaves behind in the fans he loved “more.” He was a piper of people, of goodness, of generosity, softness, kindness and of change. His fans think he belongs with other pipers like Gandhi and Martin Luther King. And if you look into his life story deeply, that is the logical conclusion of such a journey. Then the fans’ anger and anguish makes sense. They wonder how could the world have gotten it so wrong. And the contradiction of who he really was and who they say he was leaves them staggering in disbelief.

In addition to the personal forms grief has taken for Michael advocates, there is another side to the grief that is puzzling and finds no words for expression. It’s a gut feeling that something is very, very wrong with people, with the world and with the culture. Something is broken and people can feel that brokenness. It hums in the background of our lives and feels like a nightmare that haunts but it’s not a dream and we are not its dreamers. We wonder are we even awake or awake to it? Michael’s death was a catalyst for an awakening. Many did wake. And many more awaken as his real legacy is uncovered. Recently that very metaphor played out in the uncovering of his name at a school—a gathering place for children. Many of his fans who were awakened at Michael’s passing awoke also to the injustice to him and to their own missions as they struggled to assimilate the reality of his death. He withstood more than any human ever could or should yet this invincible man was gone. And he was gone by the hand of another in a death that was senseless and unnecessary. Something that represented anti-shadow in the world was gone. The light had gone out.

The real Michael Jackson represents all the things that the world meant to him and he meant to the world: Gone is the reciprocal love from admirer to the admired and back. It’s a lofty connection not often made in a world tarnished by cynicism. And certainly not in the genre of Rockstars! Michael, in his true form, embodied all the things that we love about the human being— kindness, generosity, love, compassion, respect, humility, grace, determination, perseverance, hope, persistence, passion, and heart. He was a man who was not afraid of his feminine or soft side; in fact he embraced it. He was not afraid to love loudly and publicly. He was passion in action. He created beauty and genius and gave all the credit to his creator. He gave. And gave. To the world. To us.

“We,” meaning the collective, lost an innocence of our own when Michael passed. Unconsciously or not, we saw an innocence in Michael that we ourselves had forgotten or had left far behind as we crossed the threshold of adulthood. It was as if we put behind us childish things in favor of an inheritance of cynicism and a void that hope avoids. Michael’s reverent admiration that loved children and saw in them the hope of the future and hope for the world was gone and those who had recognized it were devastated. Michael resonated with the childlike quality in all that lives in constant awe and wonder. It was the same worldview that we find in the magical creative genius of Walt Disney. It was an “it takes a village” philosophy that sees all adults in the world as the caretakers of all the children in the world and all grownups as stewards of their welfare and their mother earth who birthed us all.

Michael represented that youthful starry-eyed vision that finds wonder in the night sky, awe in a snowflake, and the forever youthful spirit that dances in the moonlight. He was the Peter Pan who is not so sure but insists on believing anyway. He was the sound of giggles in spice-perfumed kitchens where children are loved and cherished and safe. He was the fire in the center of hearth and family and love. He was the magical boy who wants to hang on to the belief that he really can fly even if it’s only a metaphor, that there is a real Santa Clause and that rainbows do touch the earth wherever it is they land.

There is something very broken in a world that would take a man filled with talent and genius and make him the shadow man for a whole generation. There is something broken in a world that would use the weapons of spoken and printed words to spread darkness to a population who are unconscious and still sleep walking. They are a people unaware that what they are ingesting is tainted nourishment from a false and unreachable god of gold—celebrity, and they are asking for more helpings; that they are drinking the hemlock of their own cynicism and hopelessness, and begging for another serving. They would better serve themselves by drinking from the fountain of a belief in their own inherent brilliance. We know it exists because we get glances of that bright shadow of humanity when there is a natural disaster like an earthquake, hurricane or Tsunami. Michael said we can be that all the time. Was it too hard to believe him? Is that why it was important to effectively hamstring him, to silence that lone cheerleading voice?

What is it about human nature that created a gifted and generous genius to be a repository for the shadowy projections of a whole world? How did the most recognized man in the world become a target for all we loathe about ourselves and can’t bear to witness, so we see it in an innocent and project it onto him with the whole world watching while he writhes under its weight?

The weeping is not just for Michael. It is for all the collective abuse, complicity, immobility and the perfunctory “well that’s just how things are” or “that’s human nature.” The fans know otherwise. And they learned that from Michael. It’s for the lost truth, the trampled justice, the lost opportunities. It’s for the children who didn’t benefit because Michael was distracted from his real mission in a demand to feed the big egos of little men. It is for the stunning movies that Michael’s genius and creative mind would have birthed in the future after his farewell performances and goodbye to the stage. It is for the loss of something magical gifted to humanity in the modeling from one man become a world diplomat and peacemaker, global humanitarian and human being working tirelessly to resurrect the brilliance of human nature, to bring salvation back, and the man who tried to duplicate Eden in a place called Neverland.

The voice that said for fifty years: “You can change the world; together we can make it a better place. We are the world” is now silent. The grief is for that loss and for something that is so broken, for a dream destroyed. For the yet unimagined magic that will never be. It’s for the human nature that stares back at us when we look at the mirror of the man in the mirror. Michael was a living myth and live metaphor for many things. Michael was a mirror. Michael was magic. Michael was Neverland. And Peter Pan. The Peter Pan that we will no longer allow ourselves to be. And now he is gone. That is what Michael Jackson fans are grieving. That is why the weeping.

http://www.innermichael.com/2010/11/so-what-are-crazy-michael-jackson-fans-really-grieving/

Source: Inner Michael -Reprinted With Permission Of The Author

The letters come from all over the world—Canada, Indonesia, Greece, Italy, France, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Africa, Romania, Viet Nam… people everywhere are grieving Michael. Many have had visions, visitations and messages from him after his death. Some are doing work on his behalf and some are reclaiming his legacy. All of them understand on a very deep level that this man was special.

Michael’s death had an impact on fans, admirers and even people on the outer orbits of anything Michael. Many have asked why they have been so impacted by this singular event and this singular individual. The short answer is that Michael awakened many on the planet before his death and his death itself awakened many more. People who have never before been interested are researching him. Many who have not considered themselves talented are now finding their inner artist. And many thousands more are doing humanitarian work around this globe in Michael’s name—“Michaeling” by donating to charities, organizing fund raisers, holding conferences and gifting needy children and vulnerable others. They are taking Michael’s “you can change the world” literally and applying it to their lives and work. They are making Michael proud. While they feel a little better, the personal grief remains intense.

What they often don’t understand is how and why their grief is so gritty and so deep. Some of these Michael people are new advocates never having been fans or listened to his music. Some are long time fans who have followed Michael’s career since the days of the Jackson Five. But all have in common their admiration and affection for Michael Jackson.

Many of them have told me they are surprised by the impact Michael’s passing had on them—equivalent to a magnitude 7 or 8 earthquake on the Richter Scale. The ones who didn’t know Michael, didn’t listen to his music are really puzzled how affected they are by his loss. Some of them have experienced this grief as they would have a close loved one yet they never knew him before. Some didn’t know how deeply they could hurt. Some feel as if his leaving awakened something in them. It did. Many embarked on a personal spiritual journey begun by an emergency that his death triggered. Janet Jackson said “To you Michael was an Icon; to us Michael was family.” While that is technically true if measured by flesh and blood, Michael was the lifeline of many. He was the one voice of sanity in a world gripped by so much insanity. For many, he was their hope, their confidante, their role model, their leader or guru. He represented the way out or the way forward. He was someone who came from nothing and became something larger than life. Michael’s voice soothed. His lyrics put many of their hopes, thoughts and prayers into words. For some, he represented their light in a world that was otherwise hopelessly dark.

When Michael Jackson left this planet he took his immediate light with him. That light was anchored here for 50 years and its sudden withdrawal left people reeling and feeling empty. Their tears were and are spontaneous, their sorrow is suffocating. Many not only did not know him before, but they did not know their own spectrum of feelings before.

The seminal work by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross on Death and Dying identified a road map of what the normal grieving process looks like. That first work has been expanded upon since it was first introduced and there are many models. Nobody follows the predicted path exactly, and the layers of grieving can mingle and be revisited at any stage. The progression of grief usually follows the path of: Initial shock, denial, pain, guilt, anger, bargaining, depression, reflection, loneliness, working through, reconstruction, acceptance, and hope. When an individual works through sufficient grief, there may be a reprieve period where feelings are muted and the process is not linear but cyclic.

In the case of Michael Jackson the normal process of grieving is complicated by many factors that do not accompany most losses and the grieving of the lost object of affection. Those who knew Michael personally have had a difficult time but the fans have had the most difficult.

The fans, while they knew Michael intimately, did not actually meet him and weren’t a part of his inner circle. Instead of being involved and included in the provisions of dealing with his preparation, funeral, interment, visitations and so on, they are forced to be mere observers and “outsiders.”They have had no say in how Michael’s passing was handled. For most, Michael was an intimate part of their lives and being an outsider leaves them with a feeling of helplessness.

Add to that the impossibility of the media and the press coverage of Michael and how he has been, and is now—portrayed so visibly in the world. They know the man’s heart and they have researched the facts and know him to be an innocent. They also know what a consummate humanitarian Michael was and how that part of his life has been overlooked.

The media managed to hypnotize a public into believing a caricature of this man and just continues to spew the party line and each time that happens, the fans who know better wince. Not only do they wince, but they feel that knife go into his back and empathically, theirs each time the lies are repeated. Once again, they feel helpless. There is also the issue of those “unauthorized biographers” whose careers were, and wealth was, built upon the dismemberment of a man who truly was a light unto the world. The man who was the world’s greatest cheerleader, humanitarian and philanthropist was turned into a dark figure in the collective memory of the twentieth century and that hurts. It is especially vile when the realization hits that the dismembering of this gentle man was perpetrated only for profit. The manufactured books and stories about Michael Jackson sold and billions of dollars were made from siphoning the life from the man.

Fans are angry not just because that is a phase of the journey of grief; they are a disenfranchised voice of reason. They are the whistleblowers who are trying to tell the hypnotized public that they are under the influence of an illusion and that this practice is not only dangerous but inhumane. They also have to deal with the disdain that has developed about “those crazy Michael Jackson fans.” The frenzy among the fans is somewhat an acting out of their anger, grief and helplessness. It’s true that some of it appears crazy and doesn’t help Michael’s legacy and is a lashing out from frustration. They don’t know how else to do it. They are flailing in grief and aiming at anything that moves. They are in the throes of it, their backs to the wall in order to hold themselves up. It’s not pretty sometimes but grief is not lovely. And senseless loss is the worst kind. They know Michael did not have to die.

Michael Jackson fans are grieving in a way that is not normal in an atmosphere that is not normal. Normally the deceased is eulogized in a reverent way, their contributions to others and the world highlighted. Their lives are celebrated and revered. Normally, they have some closure. There is no closure with the death of Michael Jackson. It is not a normal grieving process because the hype, reaction, media slant and opinions of those who didn’t know Michael taint the process. If the real Michael Jackson were globally exposed tomorrow and people would actually see how they have been duped and led by the nose into believing the tabloid version of the man, the fans could take a deep breath. If the real story were actually released into the culture and people started to understand this one they have believed an enigma, the fans would have some hope. If the whole sorry mess were exposed for what it was and the world was truly informed about the truth of this story, and an acknowledgement was made of the damage, the fans could begin normal grieving. And eventually they would heal.

So it is important to understand that those “crazy Michael Jackson fans” may be up to something important. While some are hostile and misguided and they act out their anguish in ways that are sometimes destructive and not always helpful or pretty, they really are trying… They are trying to save Michael and save themselves from a cruel world that mistreats really, really badly—its greatest treasures. They are trying to save the world from its delusions. They are trying to resurrect the truth. They are trying to construct an honest humanity because they are deconstructing tolerance for untruths and reconstructing humanity’s compassion. They are trying to prevent another human being from dismemberment for sport and for profit. They are trying to live Michael’s legacy—to heal the world and make it a better place. They are holding up a mirror to the world and saying: “look here: look what happened, look what was done to this human being; do you like what you see?” They do that for Michael because that is what Michael did. And he was crucified for it. They are trying to bring back humanity and are bringing salvation back. Maybe we should take into consideration what it is that they are actually grieving and maybe, if we can get past our judgment, we should listen.

http://www.innermichael.com/2010/10/those-crazy-mj-fans-maybe-we-should-listen/

Source: Siedah Garrett.com/Facebook

No Copyright Infringement Intended. I do not own the rights to this video.

Much Love, Dearest Michael……♥

Source: Whidbey News-Times (WA) – By Rebecca Olson

Contributed photo – Oak Harbor High School zombies Michael Garon and Soureya Hetzel rehearse for ‘Thrill the Island.’

Zombies are coming to Whidbey Island and you can groan and dance along as the Oak Harbor High School Choir Club and Media Arts Club create “Thrill the Island,” an island-wide music video of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

More than 50 students are working on the project and they hope hundreds of community members across Whidbey Island will join in as zombie dancers.

No singing experience is necessary; all you need is some undead personality.

“You don’t really need to have dancing talent because you’re a zombie. You can just hobble around and people might say you’re the coolest zombie they’ve ever seen,” said Choir Club president Shani King.

Participants should create their own zombie costumes. So far, students have come as football player zombies, zombies with rollers in their hair and even a Marilyn Monroe zombie. Students plan to have makeup, fake limbs and fake blood.

Show Choir students will teach the public the moves at a rehearsal in Oak Harbor tentatively set for the end of February. Participants can also learn moves online at thrilltheworld.com.

“It’s fun for us and we enjoy it. The more the merrier,” King said about teaching the dance moves. She added that she’s looking forward to seeing the community’s reaction to their fun idea.

King plays one of the main characters.

“I’m the first one that gets bitten by the zombie and I get to spread it to my friends,” King said.

Filming dates are tentatively set during March. Hordes of undead dancers plan to head to filming sites including Fort Casey, Deception Pass Bridge, Pioneer Way, the OHHS football field and the ferry docks.

Choir director Darren McCoy stressed that this is an all-island event meant to be a fun way to bridge the gap between the artistic communities.

Choir Club vice president Katie McClimans said she’s excited to get the community involved. As part of the Show Choir, McClimans and King are well-known in the community.

“We walk into the grocery store and people say, ‘Hey, you’re in that Show Choir.’ And we want to say, ‘Hey, you were in the ‘Thriller’ video,’” McClimans said.

Oak Harbor High School students will interact with their teachers and with students from Coupeville and South Whidbey high schools.

“It’s good for students to branch out and for teachers to get to know the students and see what they really do,” McClimans said, adding that she’s looking forward to teaching her friends at the other high schools how to dance.

The idea for the video came to King, McClimans and McCoy last year when they were walking down a dark hallway after a concert.

“It was really dark and we started doing the moves from ‘Thriller,’” King said.

It was fun — until they heard a noise.

“It was the scariest thing ever,” King said, laughing.

But the experience inspired the idea for the video, which dropped into the background as the Choir Club got involved in other community projects.

The Choir Club has focused on community interaction over the last three years with community events like “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” a dinner and show event, and “Into the Woods,” a full-scale musical. The club is part of the “Wish Upon a Star” production opening at the Whidbey Playhouse in February.

“It’s good for people to get excited about choir because it’s going to stick around forever,” McClimans said.

As a senior, King said she wants to leave a legacy.

“Who knows, this could be the big break I’m waiting for,” she said.

The Media Arts Club plans to use the video in a competition.

“We’ll use it as more than just a film. It’s something to represent the school,” McCoy said.

“This is going to be so awesome! Every time we talk about it, I just get more excited,” King said.

For information about rehearsals, filming and dance move videos, visit “Thrill the Island” on Facebook.

http://www.whidbeynewstimes.com/news/137969328.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wntnews+%28News+-+Whidbey+News-Times%29

Source:  The Michael Jackson Network

Grammy-Winning And Oscar-Nominated Singer-Songwriter, Best Known for Co-Writing Michael’s Hit Song ‘Man In The Mirror,’ Will Record New Collection of Songs Through Artistshare – Fans Will Have the Opportunity to Witness the Recording of a Tribute to Michael Jackson, Submit Original CD Cover Art, and Even Get a Chance to Perform on the Project – “For the first time, I’m coming up with the best songs I can write without the confines of a radio format or the restrictions of a record company having a say about what my music should sound like…It’s really quite liberating” -Siedah Garrett.

New York, NY (PRWEB) December 24, 2011

Siedah Garrett, best known for co-writing Michael Jackson’s worldwide hit, ‘Man In The Mirror,’ and dueting with Michael on the hit single ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,’ will release a new collection of songs that she hopes will touch and inspire all who hear it. It will mark her first album offering as a solo artist since her rock-driven 2003 sophomore CD, ‘Siedah.’ This new fan-funded ArtistShare project will consist of Siedah’s songs focusing on love –for self and for others– as the one powerful element that can make the difference in our lives and in our world. Siedah says, “It’s the dream of every songwriter to write lyrics and melodies that will be embraced by other people and possibly inspire them to be the best they can be.” The ArtistShare model gives her unprecedented artistic freedom, which she finds to be “liberating.” For the first time, fans will be able to join her in her new artistic journey, be able to witness the record come to life, and in some cases, even perform on the project. The project is dedicated to the spirit and message of ‘Man In the Mirror;’ one song on the album will be a special tribute to Michael Jackson, in celebration of their extensive work relationship.

By participating in this project through ArtistShare, fans will witness the creative process of this musical adventure through streamed video footage from the studio, and will also gain insight into the inspiration and creative songwriting process through regular updates. Siedah is inviting premium participants to perform part of a song on the album and receive credit as a performer on the CD (no experience necessary,) receive a private performance or a benefit solo concert at the charity of their choice, attend the official CD release party hosted by a very special guest, or even attend a recording session. All participants will also have the opportunity to submit original artwork for a chance to have it featured on the CD cover or booklet.

Across her remarkable pop music career, Siedah has collaborated and worked with giants such as Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Al Jarreau, and Sergio Mendes. She has written songs that have been performed and/or recorded by Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Sarah Vaughn, Sheena Easton, Patti Austin, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, Dionne Warwick, The Korrs, Barry White, Paula Abdul, will.i.am, Jordin Sparks, Vanessa Williams, Richard Elliot, The Freemasons, The Brand New Heavies, and Amy Grant, to name a few. She has supplied backup vocals for Donna Summer, Madonna, Wang Chung, The Commodores, Weather Report, Boz Scaggs, Santana, Johnny Mathis, and Jessica Simpson. Siedah’s film soundtrack credits are quite extensive, including the Oscar-nominated ‘Love You, I Do,’ from ‘Dreamgirls,’ and four songs in the 2011 blockbuster animated film ‘Rio.’ Her duet with ex-Temptations member Dennis Edwards, ‘Don’t Look Any Further,’ is a classic R&B smash. She has also appeared in numerous television, feature film, and voiceover roles, and performed globally for televised audiences in the millions.

Entering its tenth year, ArtistShare, the originator of the fan-funded business model, continues to empower artists and allow fans to support and gain access to the creative process of their favorite artists. Since 2005, ArtistShare projects have won 6 Grammy awards and received 14 Grammy nominations.

http://www.artistshare.com/projects/project_experience.aspx?ProjectID=393&artistID=294&salesTypeID=6

See Siedah’s Response To “I Just Cant’ Stop Lovin’ You” Entitled “Keep On Lovin’ You”