The Last Post

Hello to the readers of this blog. I never got around making a final post on this site because of a few reasons. However, after checking out some things about what readers are checking out on the blog, I decided to make this post. I have stopped making entries to this blog in 2017 because of school. I have since graduated and decided to do something else. The blog will never be deleted because it is important to have something like this online. I enjoyed doing the blog but I did not feel like doing any more blog posts. I was kind of losing interest in doing the blog.

Last year, I wanted to start my Youtube project but Leaving Neverland happened and it changed everything. I did eventually do the Youtube video but I realized that it was too much work and it did not turn out the way that I wanted it to turn out. I was advised to do a podcast and that is what I did. It is a lot of work doing a podcast but I really like doing the podcast. 

I want to thank every last one you who read this blog and continue to read this blog. I did this blog to not only state the facts and the truth but to document what happened after Michael was killed in 2009. I hope you all learned something from this blog. 

The podcast is called Michael Jackson and the Truth Podcast. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast.

Here are the links to follow/like if you want to support the podcast and youtube channel - 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mjpodcastepisodes

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYnbc9DInDcXggJREZBNjIQ?view_as=subscriber

Podcast - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michaelandthetruthpodcast/

Podcast website - https://michaelandthetruthpodcast.blogspot.com/

Peace and God Bless. 

Belinda O. 

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Update 08/11/2023: I am posting this update because I have found out that one of my blog posts was used for a Youtube video without my permission. Please read my copyright warning for anyone that is thinking of using my work without my permission. 

Please do not use any of my work without my permission. If you would like to use my work for your own personal, professional or educational work, please contact me via email at mjthetruthpodcast@outlook.com. In the email, show me what blog post(s) you want to use, how you would use them and why you want to use them. If I approve of it, please give me the credit and tell me and show me how my work was used for your work. Please note that if my work is used without my permission, I will do everything in my power to get it removed from your platforms. Thank you. 

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Review: Making Michael Inside The Career of Michael Jackson

These days, there are books about Michael that talk about all kinds of things about him: his personal life, his money, his impact, the false allegations, his music. However, there are a few books that focused on what made Michael the legend that he became and at times, those books are not widely used when describing Michael's impact. Making Michael Inside the Career of Michael Jackson by Mike Smallcombe is a rare book that not only focuses on the music but his impact, the promotion, his mindset and his genius. However, as I continue to read the book, I started to realize that this book was like so many books on Michael: a disappointment. The book, towards the later parts of his life, starts to become tabloid and facts about what Michael was really going through with Sony Music, AEG and his finances was not something the author wanted to discuss. 

Great cover but the book not so much. 

Dangerous 25: 25 Facts About the Dangerous Album and Era

On November 26, 2016, Dangerous will celebrate 25 years and when Michael was making the album, he originally was not going to a album of new music. Eventually, as he was working on the album, he probably start to realized that this album was an piece of work that literally changed the way he was seen as a musician, singer and legend. Dangerous was his first conscious album and he wanted to focus on issues that pop singers of his era were not really focused on. Dangerous is one of Michael's albums that majority of the mainstream media loves to ignore. The media would constantly dwell on Thriller and Off The Wall and if one is lucky, the media would make a big deal about Bad or History. Dangerous is the album that is underrated because that was the first time Michael not trying to chase any goal. I decided to do more research on my favorite album and because of this anniversary, I did a list of 25 facts about the album and the era. An era that was starting off very well but ended so badly and I will explain why I think that was the case. I hope you all enjoy this list and share it with anyone who loves Michael or loves music in general. 

Dangerous, 1991,

Michael Jackson's Empowerment and Defending His Blackness

Michael Jackson stated so many times that he was a proud black man and for the sake of the truth, it needs to be repeated. People who want to truly learn about Michael need to really know this about him. They also need to know that he was a very empowered person. Empowerment is a topic that is often not discussed when it comes to Michael. That is mainly because some people who discuss about empowerment do not include Michael. The media and it some ways society, have done a real damage to Michael when he was alive. The many things that he stated about being black and empowered have been ignored. Even though we are in the seventh year of this harsh reality, Michael's empowerment is rarely discussed. I want this blog post to be about this side of Michael so that hopefully people start to not only see him as a entertainer, but a awakened, conscious and empowered man. 

Michael in 1994. 

A Tribute To Prince Rogers Nelson

This is hard to believe that we are now living in a time when the greats of music in the 1980s: Michael, Whitney, David and Prince Rogers Nelson, are no longer with us. When my brother opened the door of his room and stated, "I have bad news", I would never thought that the news would be that Prince had died. At first, I was in denial and I checked my Facebook account and when I saw the news, I cried. I have to be honest, I am not a hardcore Prince fanatic and never will be. I had time to be one. I am a casual fan of Prince and I am one of those fans that likes the hits. However, I also had a distaste for him because of the comments that he stated about Michael.I soon learned that as time went on, he and Michael were friends. When I got older, I got to really into his music and watched his movies. After the death of Prince, I decided that I had to do a tribute to him on this blog. I want to discuss his career, impact, life, the truth about his "rivalry" with Michael and his legacy. My tribute will not be very detailed but to the point so do not expect this tribute to be a long thesis on how Prince made people think differently about black men and their masculinity and so on. Those types of articles have been done already. This is my version on how I see Prince and I hope you like it. 

Prince in 1991.

Review: Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off The Wall

The latest documentary on Michael Jackson features the journey that Michael took from being the sweet, uber talented child star/teen hearthrob and lead singer of the Jackson 5/Jacksons to the beginning of his legendary career. Few child stars become icons and legends in the field of entertainment and Michael was the most successful of them all. It is not highly documented about how Michael transitioned from one realm to another so well and successfully. Finally, Spike Lee's Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off The Wall, goes into the nitty gritty of how Michael made this rare and amazing transition. This review is not about what the documentary is focused on because it is obvious, but more about my honest opinions about certain things from the documentary. Even though I loved the film, there were some things that I noticed or looked into that I could not ignore. Finally, I will let you all know why I think that Spike should not do any more MJ related documentaries after the one on Thriller album. 

Spike Lee's second documentary on MJ, 2016.

The Past and the Future Part 4

It is the end of the year and it is time to review the year that was 2015 in the MJ world. In this entry, I will spotlight the blogs and articles that were the best of the year. The sudden news of the ATV/Sony Music Catalogue being sold or being bought on the 30th anniversary of the purchase. I will explore the history of Michael's purchase and the video of comedian and activist Dick Gregory explaining the power of the catalogue that went viral. This year, the Jacksons did a reality show and it was the talk of the fan community. I will get into a subject that was mentioned on the show that shows that people will do anything for fame. I made a mistake doing a blog post that in hindsight was not suppose to be on this blog. I will explain why I feel that way and what I have decided to do with the entry. Michael's children are fighting back using social media and they don't care. I will tell you what I think. The upcoming events and milestones that will happen in 2016 and one was revealed this month that got me excited. Finally, the future of this blog has been bugging me for some time and I will finally get into what I am going to do with the blog.  I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did making it. 

Michael at the 1989 Soul Train Awards.

The Next Generation (REVISED 2019)

In this blog post I am revising the entry for the sake of people knowing who is who in the Jackson family. 

The Jacksons, 2015

The Ladies In Michael's Life Part 6

This is the sixth installment of the Ladies of Michael's life and the theme of this one is revelations. Let's start with Theresa Gonsalves latest interview talking about her time with Michael and what she stated. She stated some shocking things. Did you know that Ola Ray is working on a book about her time with Michael? Yes and I will tell you what I think. Cultural/music critics and authors Nelson George and Toure Neblett participated in a seminar about Michael back in 2011 and they stated things that made me scream,"hypocrites". I will explain why I state that in the blog post. Pharrell Williams revealed some things about Michael but people are twisting it around. I will tell you what is being twisted. This is so repetitive to me but I think I do this because I want people to know about this: the mystery of Blanket/Bigi's mother. What is known? I will break down what Michael and a former employee of his stated about this. Finally, I will talk about Romonica Harris but if you are expecting details, you will be disappointed. I hope you all like this edition because this is probably the best one yet.  

Michael in 1991. 

Random Thoughts Part 14

This is the 14th edition of Random Thoughts and in this edition, the 20th anniversary of History: Past, Present and Future Book 1 will be discussed. I will discuss the Jacksons, education and why I feel that a certain person should take a break from the Jacksons.  Of course, I couldn't discussed this entry at this time of the year if I did not mention the MJ B-Day celebrations that happened to celebrate what would have been his 57th. I will talk about Donald Trump's comparison to Michael, 3T's reality show and Hayvenhurst being a tourist attraction/museum, supposedly. Finally, I will dedicate this blog to various people. Enjoy reading this entry.

Michael from Ebony magazine 2007.

Q&A Session: With the Authors of Travelling With A King

Michael loved to travel all around the world. He practically visited every country in the world and along the way, he learn a lot of things about the countries and himself. Like many interesting things in Michael's life, Michael's travels was barely discussed. Things have drastically changed since Michael died in 2009 and all aspects of his life have been discussed and written about. Two fans name Antonie Cadinot and Christophe Charlot wrote a travel guide book on Michael's travels and famous stops called Travelling With a King Travel Guide For the Fans of Michael Jackson. This is the first edition of the English version of the book and it contains very interesting facts about the locations. This session is about the book, the inspiration behind the book, what it took to make the book and the dedication both men had in completing the book. I hope that this session you make you, a reader of this blog, to purchase the book and enjoy it. 

Travelling with a King, 2015.

Rest In Peace, Michael: 20 Videos Every MJ Fan Should See on Youtube Part 2

There are people who will view Thursday June 25th, 2015 as another day in the calendar but fans of Michael will see that day as one of the worst days of their lives. Michael left this world on that day and things were never the same. It has been six years and each year it becomes more painful. When it comes to pop culture, things have changed so much after Michael's death that I cannot honestly recognize what is happening. At times, I do a lot of rewinding and going back to the past when it seems things made sense. I think that is why I like doing this blog post because it shows Michael at different times of his life being here and doing his life's work. So, I decided to gather up 20 videos that fans of Michael should see on youtube because that is the best website to go to when you want to watch videos of Michael. At times, we look at the past and remind ourselves of the kind of person that Michael was; the loving, talented, kind, silly, giving and charming person that we love/loved tremendously. I hope  this entry will  help you all ease the pain on June 25th. 

Michael flashing the peace sign in 2009.

Book Reviews on Xscape Origins and Dangerous

One of the most important aspects of Michael's legacy was his music and artistry and there are not a lot of books that discuss that side of Michael. Before his death, books on Michael were mostly tabloid based and the most popular one, The Magic and the Madness written by J. Randy Tarborelli, was used as a source for all types of articles and books on Michael. That book is now seen as tabloid foddler that has been pretty much ignored in the MJ fan community. (At least I think so.) After Michael's death, books were being released that discussed his music and his impact in popular culture. Even though these books were well over due, the books became some what a relief that, in the book department, Michael's music legacy is documented for all of the world to read. Two books that will be reviewed separately, in this post are about two albums of Michael's: one iconic and one of a retrospect, that shows the greatness that was Michael, his creativity, activism and impact. 

Michael filming "Black or White" short film in 1991. 

Magazine Scans: Hip Hop Weekly and Jet

In 2009, Michael passed away and the media had a field day covering his sudden passing. There were so many tribute magazines on Michael, that it was hard for a person to catch up on all of them. I have bought so many tribute magazine issues of Michael, that I not only lost count, but forgot about the some of the magazines I had. I never post the Jet magazine tribute to Michael on here or on my tumblr page. They were one of the few publications that actually respected Michael. They were honorable and respectful towards him. In the past, I have posted on this blog, an interview that music producer and singer, Teddy Riley did for Hip Hop Weekly that was included in their tribute to Michael. I have decided to post most of the issue on here to show you, the readers, what was talked about. I hope you all enjoy the issues and be amazed about the amazing man that we all love and miss so much. 

Michael at an event in 2003.

Random Thoughts Part 13

This is the 13th edition of Random Thoughts and there is so much to discuss. First up, there are plenty of books that are and have already come out dealing with or about Michael. A couple deal with his legacy and one book looks like it is going to get into Michael's personal life. I will tell you what I think about all of this. As I was on social media, I notice that the MJ fans are making unusual assumptions about certain things regarding the fans and the people in Michael's life. I feel that assumptions are dangerous and I am going to tell you why I feel that way. There have been people speaking for Michael and his legacy in the fan community and a couple of people should really stop doing that. Michael's children are growing rapidly and I will keep you updated on what is going on. The Off The Wall documentary is happening and pictures have been posted. I will tell you why I think this is the only documentary on Michael worth seeing this year. Finally, I have a few things to state that have been on my mind and I will tell you what they are and I will be dedicating this entry to three people who passed away this month. Read and enjoy this great blog post. 

Michael performing during the Dangerous tour in 1992. 

The Ladies in Michael's Life Part 5

The last time I did a blog post about the ladies in Michael's life, it was back in 2013. After almost two years, I have decided to do another one. In this edition, I am going to talk about Lisa Marie Presley and her fans and why I made a mistake dealing with them. I am going to clear up the information from the promotional guy for the last time and the truth about Joanna Thomae. This will be a very interesting blog post and I am expecting a lot of opinions about what I have to state. 

Michael looking great on the set of his short film "In The Closet", 1991.

Magazine Scans: Michael Goes To Africa, Ebony Magazine

In 1992, Michael went to Africa, specifically Gabon, west of the African nation of Senegal, to participate in a historic ceremony in which he was made King of Sani (Michael also received the Medal of Honor). During that time he was in Africa, the media had a field day covering the events and as usual, when it came to Michael, created falsehoods about his trip. Luckily, Ebony magazine accompanied Michael to the trip and got the real story. This blog entry is about Michael's time in Africa and the wonderful cover story that Ebony done for the event. I posted the article on tumblr and got under 20 notes. I guess I did not have the leaked videos of Michael hanging out with those Casicsos family members. Dang! Anyway, enjoy this great article. 

Michael in the early 1990s working on the classic Dangerous album. 

The Past and the Future Part 3

The end of 2014 is here and as usual, I look back of the 5th year that Michael is no longer with us. So many milestones happened this year and I want to showcase that. The Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music released a second posthumous album on Michael's demo music called Xscape that actually had his vocals. That still did not make me get the album. I will explain why and also make another rant about that Hologram freak show. The Jackson family will always be in the news for their dysfunction and foolery. Unlike last year, this year, the Jacksons did not fight another court battle. Instead, a few of them are going to do a reality show, Joe is doing documentary of his life and Paris finally comes back home. From the world of fame loving losers, Brandon Howard claims that Michael is his "father" but what he does not understand is that facts can't be ignored. Once again, the Casico family, aka Michael's "second" family, is at it again pimping and exploiting Michael using a online auction platform. There are exciting things that will happen in 2015 and I let you know what they are. Finally, I ask myself if we really live in a post racial society and what does the recent events of injustices towards black people have to do with Michael. 

Michael in 2009. 

Magazine Scans: People Magazine and Michael

You probably do not even know it but the popular magazine, People, is celebrating 40 years in publication this year and the magazine could not celebrate their milestone without mentioning Michael. The magazine have been following Michael's amazing career from their beginning in 1974 when Michael was 16, covered his historical career, the ups and downs of his celebrity, his horrific death and now covers his legacy and his heirs, his children. The reason why I am doing a blog post about the magazine is not because I want to celebrate their milestone. I am doing the post to show how this magazine went from idolizing Michael to slowing bashing him when things did not look good for Michael. I have a collection of Michael on the cover of the magazine which shows how the magazine changed their demeanor towards him. The magazine was a reflection of how most of the mainstream treated him over the years and currently. 

Michael on the cover of People in 1983. 

Is Something Off About Michael's Siblings?

When we think about our siblings, we think of the relationships that we have with them, how much we love them or loathe them and how much they are a part of our upbringing. Our siblings are the very people that knew us before we knew us. In a normal sibling relationship, when one is in trouble, bashed or hurt, their siblings come to their defense because they are family and that is what family do. We expect our siblings to always be there for us no matter what. If that one sibling is a multi-billionaire entertainment legend, not only do we expect him to take care of his siblings if they are in trouble with financial situations but we expect his siblings to have his back and defend him at all times. We expect Michael's siblings to do that because they are a family. 

Michael's relationship with his siblings were, at one point, amazing. Michael's closeness with Marlon during his Jackson 5/Jacksons eras were well documented. When Marlon met his wife Carol, got married and started a family, Michael developed an extremely close relationship with Janet. They were so close that when Michael would do interviews, she would be a buffer because of Michael's trust issues with the media. Up until Michael's murder, Janet started to have Randy in her ear and when things were not going good for her, she started to become jealous of Michael. Jermaine was the brother that Michael idolized because he wanted to be like him. However, once Michael's popularity started to become legendary status in 1984, Jermaine began to throw hints at jealously of his brother. Randy was the only younger brother Michael ever had and felt the need to protect him because he was basically neglected. However, when Michael was going through his trial in 2005 and afterwards, Randy showed his true colors. 

Probably the biggest betrayal and was the turning point in Michael's relationship with his siblings was when LaToya told the world in 1993 that Michael was a "pedophile". She later recounted her comments stating that she was forced by her then husband, Jack Gordon, to state the vile things about her brother. Whatever the situation truly was, the damaged was done and Michael's relationships with his siblings slowly started to diminished. 

This blog post is about the things that bothered me about Michael's siblings and their unusual behaviors towards him after he was vindicated in 2005 up until now. There are things that the siblings have done to him, his children and his legacy that has bothered me.

Finally, this blog post will be an apology, of sorts, to Michael's children. I will explain on the post the reason why I should have never cared about the family drama back in 2012 and why even though I do stand by what I stated back in 2012, I do feel that if it were to happen again, I will not pay attention to any of it. I hope you all read this blog post with an open mind and learn about Michael's complicated relationship with his siblings. 

Michael with his siblings in the 1970s.