Glen, I would march with you, but you creep me out.

Today is the first anniversary of MJ going off to that big dance studio in the sky. I was talking to a friend today and she kept mentioning how creepy MJ was. She said that every time she saw him (especially the post plastic surgery, Liz Taylor nose and chin, Michael) she felt "creeped" out. Not me. Maybe it's because I loved some of his music so much, but I never felt "creeped" out by MJ.

Now, to be sure, there are some things in life that do creep me out:
Clowns are creepy. So are images of large rabbits; and we can't forget cats. Those twins from "The Shining" were creepy. Frogs, and people holding large bibles in public creep me out as well. Oh, and I can't forget those anchors on FOX television. Now that's creepy!

Anyway, speaking of creepy: I see Glen Beck is planning a march on Washington D.C. to commemorate Dr. King's historic march and speech back in 1963 .

Now this is A-merry-ca, so Beck and his minions are free to march until their heels bleed. But as king funkadelic lamented over at Kos; I too have to wonder who Beck is bringing with him?

[From the looks of this he already has some folks eager to sign up] You black folks won't like this, but I bet he has a huge turnout. All those white folks are more that eager to show that we have moved past our racial issues and can embrace the dream of the commie we used to hate. And there will be some black folks there, too; the ones who are all too willing to show the rest of us that Beck isn't such a bad guy.

Let me sign off with a post from Rudolph over at Instablogs:

"Wonders shall never end.

The uncompleted work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will now be finished by the very Reverend Glenn Beck.

Yes, you heard me right.

The Fox news opinionated entertainer is organizing a march on Washington on the same day and at the same spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech.

Beck will be talking about getting black Americans home to their conservative roots. He plans to use black boards, white chalks, pies and pictures to show black Americans how the Democratic Party had deceived them for so long.

He plans to talk about justice -but not its cousin – social justice.
Rev. Beck will raise the issue of personal responsibility – just like Minister Louis Farrakhan did during the Million Man March on Washington.

What other proof does anyone need to certify the failure of Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young and Al Sharpton, than to have Glenn Beck leading the new civil right movement.
For those mischievous fellows who do not pay serious attention to Beck, he reminded then that his mission came straight from God.

At first, he wondered what God was doing talking to a guy like himself. And then, he got a call from the Vatican.

And there you have it.

Only in America." [More]

Oh Rudolph, what's with all the sarcasm? FYI, I think that they do have some things in common: Didn't they both go to jail?

The end of an icon.

If you told me that I would outlive Michael Jackson, I would have told you no way. Honestly, MJ is one of those people who you just knew would live forever. We thought of the possibility of other artists and iconic people dying, but never Michael.

I grew up with the guy, and I am sure that damn near all of you reading this did as well. He just seemed like one of those constants: Death, taxes, and Michael Jackson. But no more. That part of A-merry-can music history died today in a Bel-Air mansion at approximately 4:00 PM EST. That white glove and the red jacket will be in the Smithsonian one day. (If they are not already.) The guy was that much a part of A-merry-cana.

To us black folks this loss is especially hard, because no matter how hard he tried to change himself and run away from who he was, many of us still accepted him. He was the same little Michael from Gary, Indiana that he was four noses ago. Maybe it's because we understood that he grew up on the stage and under the eyes of a taskmaster like unforgiving father. Maybe it's because we understood that he never really had a childhood and for all his talents, he was somewhat of a pathetic figure. And then, of course, there were the alleged little boys. None of us can pretend that the ugly trial didn't take place. We all whispered about it long before the trial, and even after he was acquitted of those horrible charges, many of us still believed that the whispers were true. And still, in spite of all that, we accepted him. Oh we killed him for those and other indiscretions, and rightfully so, but at the end of the day, he was fam.

We forgave because he broke barriers. He was the first black artist to really get some shine on MTV. He turned white folks on to our music and the way we dance to it. (Who can forget Michael moon- walking into white A-merry-ca's living rooms and their hearts?) And he crossed over and got paid. (Yes, we celebrated the fact that he got paid. Because contrary to what plenty of you believe; black folks aren't all crabs in a barrel)

But we loved him mostly for what he gave us: The memories. Those old J-5 albums: The Love You Save; ABC;Dancing Machine;One More Chance. Pick one. Anyone. I am sure you would be picking a memory right along with it. I watched some of those old J-5 routines on television tonight, and I got goose bumps. (Oh if that Michael Jackson could have still been with us) I felt a profound sense of sadness, because it reminded me of a youth and an innocence that I will never get back. In a way, Jackson's dying closes that chapter, and I never wanted to say goodbye.