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.

Requiem for the 'world's oldest blogger'... and MJ.

While the whole world is mourning the sudden loss of the iconic phenomenon, the class act... that was the "King of Pop", the incredible wonder that was THE Michael Jackson, I came across... a news item titled, "'World's oldest blogger' dies in Spain at 97"... while surfing the net.

María Amelia López Soliño, a Spanish great-grandmother who billed herself as the 'world's oldest blogger' and who gained a global following on the Internet, logged off for the last time on wednesday, May 20, 2009 at the age of 97... to the dismay of her followers/readers, leaving behind nearly a century of stories. The Washington Post reported that Lopez died on the 20th of May in her hometown of Muxia in Spain's northwest Galicia region. She started the site in 2006 after her grandson created it for her 95th birthday present. Wryly, she noted that her grandson was 'very stingy'... "Today it's my birthday and my grandson, who is very stingy, gave me a blog," she wrote on her first post on http://amis95.blogspot.com/ on December 23, 2006.

She began blogging over two years ago and became an Internet sensation with her riffs on growing old and modern politics... winning a raft of fans with her eclectic mix of commentary and nostalgia infused with a sharp wit. Her posts became a sensation and her blog was one that intrigued through the sheer volume of her experiences. She was introduced to the Internet when her grandson set up the blog as a gift to mark her 95th birthday. It proved a great escape, Mrs. López later wrote: "On December 23rd 2006, my grandson gave me a present, this blog when I was 95 years old ... and my life changed ... now, I can communicate and interact with the world." She wrote and video blogged about her experiences during the long dictatorship of General Francisco Franco and voiced criticism of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Her posts touched on personal health problems, from trips to the doctor to bouts of dizziness, to her opinion on current events; from the Basque separatist threat to Iran's nuclear ambitions - and poignantly discussed what it was like to grow old.

María's blog quickly soared in popularity and became a global hit (and with it her fame grew) after the media reported on it; notching up more than 1.7 million hits. Even the (Socialist) Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (who she openly supported) dropped in for a chat. Visit Maria Amelia Lopez's blog here (it's mostly written in Spanish, but there are snippets here and there in English, too). María described her blogging experience this way: "It took 20 years off my life. My bloggers are the joy of my life. I did not know there was so much goodness in the world." Mrs. López became an unlikely campaigner for digital rights for older people and wrote frequently of the benefits of the online community she had created. In one of her last postings in February'09 she said: "When I'm on the Internet, I forget about my illness. The distraction is good for you - being able to communicate with people. It wakes up the brain, and gives you great strength."

In summer, María would write from her seaside home in Muxia in northwestern Spain, where she was born in 1911; and from the Galician farmhouse where she lived with her grandson - Daniel - during the rest of the year. She blogged sporadically - sometimes once a week, sometimes daily - with the aid of her grandson because cataracts impaired her vision. In recent months Mrs. López was increasingly posting video messages on her blog instead of written texts. In one of her last posts made in February, she enthused about how the "Internet amazes me more and more" after her grandson Daniel introduced her to the social networking site Facebook. She promptly set up a group on Facebook to defend old people's rights. "One day soon I am going to die. All I am really scared of is losing my mind. In the meantime, I'll carry on," she said in an interview with Britain's The Guardian newspaper in September 2007.

Her family left a posthumous post, thanking readers for their support. "[There were] 880 days when her blog made her happy... the support she needed to enjoy her last days of life," they wrote. "When somebody leaves after 97 years, living with joy from the beginning to the end, we can't be sad. "Wherever you are, grandmother, you will read these comments, all of them without doubt. She will laugh at some, will learn with others, she might get annoyed at the specific 'language' used in some ... but she will be happy reading all of them."

Mrs. López became the 'world's oldest blogger' after the death of the 108-year-old Australian Olive Riley aka Oliver Riley in June 2008. The new holder of this unoffical title is unknown, although the American actor Kirk Douglas, 92, who blogs regularly on his MySpace page, could be in the running. He is the father of Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas. Twitter's oldest microblogger is the 104-year-old Briton Ivy Bean, who keeps her 14,600 followers entertained at twitter.com/ivybean104.

Even The Hindu (newspaper) did an article on Mrs. López. You can read it: here. She did not sit around waiting for the end to come. She was full of life, curious to learn new things and increase her knowledge, even at the ripe 'old' age of 95. She blogged and made new friends... from across the globe. She was truly young at heart. We can only hope and pray for a life as productive as hers... in our last years. My deepest respects to this wonderful human being. I admire her grandson too. While reading about her life, I was reminded of a few lines from 'Ulysses' - a poem by the Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson - that I first read while at school: "I cannot rest from travel: I will drink Life to the lees:" and here are some more:

"Though much is taken, much abides; and though

We are not now that strength which in the old days

Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are,

One equal-temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

María Amelia López lived up to these immortal words and drank Life to the lees. Truly! She charmed her way into our hearts and will remain there... forever. May her soul RIP.

Note: I do not believe that Michael Jackson (1958–2009) is no more. He's staging the mother of all comebacks. The magnitude of the emotional response to Jackson's death has in many ways resurrected the fallen hero, written off by most of the world for nearly a decade. In a fast-paced age of digital media and intrusive celeb tabloids - the untimeliness of a celeb's death may help them achieve 'cultural immortality'. Once a popular public figure dies prematurely, he/she is immediately venerated to an immortal, larger-than-life entity. They are escalated to bigger icons in death... and remain an object of eternal fascination.

Perhaps, MJ's untimely death will accentuate the yearning to explore his life deeper. With diverse opinions and assorted conspiracy theories, compounded by many Michael 'sightings'... his death has all the elements of a 'thriller'. Really, tragedy is the biggest entertainer. Everyone wants to cling onto a souvenir, a second-hand memory of the late star. The magnificence and the extravagance of their lives is carried on into death.

I read recently that... it was Shahrukh Khan who once famously said: "I work for brand SRK. I'm on his call 24/7." Today, SRK's cool admission eerily rings true as the icon-worshipping world pretends to be shocked at what living up to his brand image did to Michael Jackson. Jackson's final efforts to push himself beyond human endurance, just to live the brand, spelled his doom. But then, be it Barack Obama or Amitabh Bachchan, it's the image which makes the man or the woman. Wouldn't the American singer-songwriter Madonna be just another aging star on the firmament without her outrageously daring, femme fatale branding? A rhetorical question, right...?!! Usually, the public does not relate to icons without imperfections. Michael Jackson was quirky, eccentric, enigmatic and mysterious. For all his wealth, brilliance and professional excellence, he was - perhaps understandably - flawed, misguided and sad... perhaps a tragic figure... and that's how the image and the man stayed, till the end. May his soul rest in peace. He will be missed and His Music Will Live Forever (courtesy MJ's website: www.michaeljackson.com).

Every celebrity worth his or her salt, devotes his or her waking hours to 'live' that aura. But living an image is like putting on a mask 24/7. And at times the cookie, like in the case of Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix... and in more recent times Heath Ledger and now Michael Jackson, crumbles with tragic consequences. Not to forget (as pawan reminded me) the untimely and tragic demise of Elvis Presley at the age of 42. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis" and is also sometimes referred to as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" or "The King". He was also the father-in-law of the "King of Pop" Michael Jackson for a brief period. In May 1994, Jackson married his daughter - the singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley (they divorced less than two years later). During his lifetime, Jackson has been frequently compared to Elvis... now, with his passing, MJ has joined him in the afterlife and moonwalked into 'history'.

Author Samuel Roy has argued: "Elvis' death did occur at a time when it could only help his reputation. Just before his death, Elvis had been forgotten by society." The tabloids had ridiculed his obesity and his kitschy, jump-suited performances. Comedian George Carlin had remarked, "America got what it deserved in Elvis Presley: a big fat, drug-addicted squealer." There are reports that... the hysteria associated with sudden celeb deaths has prompted news agencies to 'pre-write' obituaries of young, out-of-control celebs. Associated Press entertainment editor Hesse Washington confessed to a website about preparing Britney Spears' obituary, "If she passed away, it would be one of the biggest stories." These surely does add to the 'pressure cooker situation' that celebs find themselves in, and may be... add to the 'live fast, die young and leave a good looking corpse' syndrome. But then as they say, 'showbusiness' is big business and there is no business like 'showbusiness'. Therefore, the 'show' must go on....

Note 1: Some info gathered, courtesy: Wikipedia.

Photographs:

1. Web-blogger and great-grandmother María Amelia López Soliño walks along a street of Combarro, in the northern Spanish region of Galicia, in this October 5, 2007 file photo. Mrs. López, whose blog attracted thousands of readers from around the world, died aged 97 in northern Spain on Wednesday, April 20, 2009. Mrs. López charmed readers with a homely mix of memory and chat at http://amis95.blogspot.com/, including stories of a long life which steered through Spain's Civil War and years of dictatorship by General Francisco Franco. Picture taken October 5, 2007. (Photo courtesy: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/)

2. Michael Jackson, at the White House in 1984. On May 14, 1984, he was invited to the White House to receive an award from President Ronald Reagan for his support of charities that helped people overcome alcohol and drug abuse. (Photo courtesy: Wikipedia)