From 'King' to 'Princess'... or maybe 'The Pharaoh of Pop'... ?!!

I came across an interesting piece of news on the net and feel like to share it with you. It concerns the 'King of Pop'... the peerless Michael Jackson. Author's note: You can read my requiem on him here. (This post was selected as the Tangy Tuesday Picks on BlogAdda on Tuesday, July 14, 2009.)

The 'Thriller' hitmaker who died on June 25 (2009) after a suspected cardiac arrest has been at the centre of many weird stories, but this one takes the prize for being the craziest. A new story adding to the legend of the 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson has emerged claiming that the pop icon was the reincarnation of an Egyptian princess.

An ancient Egyptian bust on display at the Field Museum in Chicago has been the focus of interest since the star's death as visitors double-take at the eerie similarities between the 3,000-year-old statue and the singer. The limestone statue - which depicts an unidentified woman - went on display at the museum in 1988 and was carved during the New Kingdom Period, dating from between 1550 BC to 1050 BC. Like Jackson's surgically-altered face, the carving has a distinct, upturned nose and rounded eyes. And like Jackson - if rumors of the singer's prosthesis are to be believed - the statue's nose has partially disintegrated. Before her nose was broken off by an anti-idolatry Christian or Muslim, however, it was a feature Jackson evidently would have coveted: a "ski-jump, European" - shaped nose as opposed to an African one.

Talk about 'HIStory'. Chicago is abuzz with the sudden discovery of an ancient Egyptian statue that looks uncannily like the late 'King of Pop' - or perhaps it should be 'Pharaoh of Pop' - in the collection of one of the most respected natural history museums in the United States. The statue which is a spitting image of Jackson, has started attracting many fans of the late pop star, who are making a beeline to catch a glimpse of their idol's past life. Though it's too soon to tell whether the bust will boost the Field Museum's attendance, many visitors among the usual August throng this week want nothing more than to stand face-to-face with the New Kingdom doppelganger of superstar musician Michael Jackson, who died in June (Jackson, 50, died of a suspected cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles on June 25). According to reports, some of the singer's fans have started believing that their idol was a reborn princess... after spotting this ancient Egyptian statue here.

The Museum's curator of the Near East and North Africa, Jim Phillips, said staff had been "inundated" with inquiries from Jackson fans since the star's similarities to the bust were pointed out in a recent newspaper article. "We've had people coming to the museum and asking 'Where's Michael Jackson?' So we have to tell them that he's not here, but there is a bust that looks a lot like him," Phillips told AFP. Phillips said while it is doubtful that Jackson's physical startling image may have been inspired by the statue - the singer was not believed to have visited the museum - the resemblance between the two is undeniable. "I have to admit it, there are a number of very striking similarities," Phillips said. "I don't follow all the permutations of Michael Jackson's physical appearance, but they do look a lot alike."

To quote Jim Phillips, "It's beyond belief. People see my badge, and they're constantly asking me, 'Where's Michael Jackson's face?' " Though the bust has been on display in a non-prominent area of The Field Museum's Inside Ancient Egypt exhibit since 1988, the eerie resemblance between statue and icon was first made known to the wider public on Wednesday in a newspaper column by Michael Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Times. "The idea that people are coming in specifically to see if they can recognize Michael Jackson is a little disturbing to me, but... if that's what gets people interested in Egypt, interested that in 1500 BC people were carving these lovely faces in limestone, that's OK with me, too," Phillips said.

The curator said he'd never noticed the resemblance before, nor had anyone brought it to his attention. "I was never a follower of Michael Jackson, so no, I had never even thought about it." As far as anyone knows, Jackson himself never visited The Field Museum and was not aware of the bust. The museum has had the statue in its collection since 1988 (some reports say 1899). It depicts a woman - "There's no question it's a woman," Phillips said, especially considering she's wearing eye makeup - who lived in Egypt sometime between 1550 and 1050 BC. Beyond that, she's as anonymous as Jackson was famous.

There is another bit of 'news' on MJ... actually two... that I came across, while surfing the net. They are titled: "Michael Jackson's hair: A real gem?" and "Jacko Is Forever As Hair Turns Into Diamonds", respectively.

At first I thought it had to be a joke: making diamonds from the DNA of Michael Jackson? Following his recent death, entrepreneurs rushed to get unauthorized biographies, memorabilia and other Jackson-themed items to market. But diamonds from DNA? It sounded macabre. Apparently, it's possible. LifeGem "specializes in creating diamonds from locks of hair," and according to founder Dean VandenBiesen, the company plans "to give people an opportunity to own a diamond made from Michael Jackson's DNA."

You may wonder how they came to possess Jackson's DNA. Remember the Pepsi commercial, and the excruciating video where Jackson's hair catches fire and crew members surround him and snuff out the flames? (MJ lost the hair when he was set on fire during the filming of a Pepsi advert in 1984.) Executive Producer Ralph Cohen apparently used his Armani jacket to extinguish the fire, and subsequently picked up a lock of the famous charred hair off the ground... and put them in his pocket even as Jackson was rushed off set to the hospital. Both the jacket and the hair were sold to John Reznikoff (Ralph kept them for 25 years). Reznikoff collects hair. He counts follicles from Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe in his collection. Now the collector has teamed up with LifeGem to produce an exclusive set of diamonds from a portion of the hair. Reznikoff is keeping some of Jackson's hair in his collection; the other portion is being used by the Elk Grove Village-based LifeGem (which creates diamond memorials) to create the Michael Jackson diamonds - a small number of certified laboratory diamonds. In 2007, LifeGem and Reznikoff partnered to create diamonds from Beethoven's hair and sold one of them on eBay for around $200,000 (£122,000).

According to VandenBiesen, "We are currently evaluating Jackson's hair sample to determine how many diamonds can be created." The process involves capturing carbon from the hair and heating it to very high temperatures until it is converted into graphite. This is then placed into a diamond press, which replicates the heat and pressure from deep within the earth, where it will crystallise into a diamond.

The company "anticipates great interest" and says this will be a "limited collection." Perhaps I'm limited in my imagination, but the thought of owning a diamond made from Michael Jackson's DNA has very little appeal. Would you buy one?

This is really ludicrous! How could someone do that or even want to... ??? Even in the grave, the public cannot and will not let MJ rest in peace. But then, Michael Jackson has always been a money maker/money-spinner during his life... in the showbusiness. It doesn't surprise me that someone has thought to do this. People will continue to make money off of Michael Jackson for as long as there is an interest in him. This is most unfortunate.

Michael Jackson's music is my diamond. Just listen to MJ's music. He was in a class by himself. I wish the world will give the man some peace. He must be craving for it now... since he could never have it during his life time. He lived with all this drama, now it is time for some peace and quiet and I truly despise these individuals that are taking advantage of Michael Jackson even now. This is just disgrace! One would be better off buying a MJ CD and celebrating his music and talent. Let him RIP. That's the least we can do... and to my mind, that'll be a fitting tribute to the icon. May his soul rest in peace. He will be missed and His Music Will Live Forever (courtesy, MJ's website: www.michaeljackson.com).

Note:

Some info gathered, courtesy: Wikipedia.

Other info gathered, courtesy: http://www.canada.com/travel/story.html?id=1867959, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/, and http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/

Photographs:

1. & 2. Images released by The Field Museum in Chicago, shows an Egyptian limestone statue, depicting an unidentified woman, carved during the New Kingdom Period, dating from between 1550 BC to 1050 BC. The bust on display at the museum has been the focus of interest since MJ's death as visitors double-take at similarities between the 3,000-year-old statue and the singer. (AFP Photo)

3. Michael Jackson in his later years... his face scarred and ravaged by a series of plastic surgeries and other forms of (such/similar) abuse. He had turned into a shadow of his former self in his later years. The Jackson diamond will be created by the firm (LifeGem) which made this blue stone.