Ms. Janet Jackson...

I did see the Robin Roberts interview last night. I was a bit too out of it to blog right after the broadcast or go to MJFC...Plus, I like to gather my thoughts before I type/write...

She reminded me of Michael so much, and in turn, both make/made me think of their mom. It's funny, even before his death, she just reminded me so much of him...They were kind of like fraternal twins to me (I know they weren't, but still in my mind...they were that connected...So to hear her say they were that close last night made a lot of sense to me...maybe that's what I was picking up on...)

I also got a kick out hearing that she called Michael "Mike"...I don't know why, but it just gives me the biggest tickle.

That imitation of Latoya...I don't even know her, and I just about died laughing...Janet was spot on.

On the revelation that Joseph Jackson told Janet she could make more money singing and switched her to that...I can't say I'm shocked, but certain things make more sense to me now, after hearing that.


I also want to make clear that although she does remind me of Michael, I never stopped seeing her as an artist in her own right...All those clips they showed last night, I was just giddy, because I remember seeing her on The Jacksons Variety Show, Good Times (Janet's Mae West imitations always tickled me too. That always struck me as so percocious though. She seems to shy to do that imitation now, which seems kind of odd now that she's old enough for the imitation to actually be appropriate. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...the American culture is just bizarre...I'm not knocking all of it, because that would make me a huge hypocrite, but no wonder so many people from foreign countries get here and go WTF???!!!!), Diff'rent Strokes, and Fame when those shows were first being aired. It brought back so many memories.

I'm glad to hear she's going to be pursuing acting more, I always thought she was good with the potential to get better.

I'm excited to hear that she's writing a book...I'd definitely buy it.

I'm not surprised that at certain points in the interview or at certain questions, she seemed to have a difficult time...No, if you've lost someone close to you, especially recently, it's not hard at all to understand...

It made me very sad to hear that she didn't know about the Propofol...That just seems to back up my belief that in all families members don't tell each other each and everything. Sometimes it can be really liberating and sometimes it can be really harmful, as with drug abuse and things of that nature.

I never saw Janet Jackson live either...I think maybe if she decides to tour...I'll add her to my list and go...

Janet's tribute to Michael at the VMA's

First off, I thought what Madonna had to say was both amusing and beautiful. (I'm sorry, it may sound dumb, but I don't think anyone understands a shy person, like another shy person. He seems like once, you broke him out of his shell, he was a fun person to hang out and talk with. Interesting too...All the places he's been and the unique perspective he'd have on them...You know that question of you could have how ever many people living or dead to be your dinner guest and conversate with them. I have a handful in mind and he's definitely one. My paternal grandmother, My Gran Lee, and my maternal great-grandmother are some of the other ones. I like Alicia Keyes too. She seems like she's cool people and Beyonce too. More men...I'll get back to you on that one...I'm also getting off track. Ahem...)

The second part...I would've put together a different medley. Did they just not want to start with J5 stuff or things from Michael's solo albums on Motown? (I would've included something from them, and had some dancers who were children. Unless labor laws or rehearsal schedules prevented me from doing so.) I can't remember what the other songs were beyond Thriller and Bad. I just felt like the medley should have covered more of a span, but I know how tight the timing is with award shows, so I can only b*@# so much about that aspect of the performance without sounding like I'm nitpicking. The dancer's in different costumes of Michael dancing to Thriller (For some reason, that just gave me the heebie jeebies. The same way Return of the Living Dead Part II will from now on I guess.).

One of the dancer's didn't seem steady when they were doing that anti-gravity illusion from Smooth Criminal. That nagged at me a bit.

Janet Jackson's performance...I thought she did a wonderful job. I was reading what the person covering the VMA's for USA Today said, and they said she seemed almost angry...I don't know if it was anger so much as defiance...Like she was saying, "I'm still here and I'm going to make it through this. " I haven't heard her new single yet, but I plan to. I found out yesterday that Janet Jackson is on Twitter, I didn't know that before. Elizabeth Taylor is also on Twitter, I didn't know that either. I think that's so cool. A lot of older people don't like to fool with new things, so it's nice to find some that do. I got an e-mail from Eartha Kitt once. That blew my mind. : D

Which kind of brings me back to what I was saying in another post/entry, you have to let people know what they mean to you while they're still here.

Promo for Janet Jackson's performance @ the VMA's tomorrow

I'm looking forward to this so much, that I'm putting off seeing True Blood tomorrow. (This is saying a lot if you know what a True Blood fanatic I am.) Something one of the people on the street being interviewed in one of the commercials on MTv promoting Janet's appearance on this year's VMA's disturbed me though. The person said they wanted to see her do, what Michael did. My thought on that, is didn't we already see that in the Scream video? (It's one of my favorites too.) Isn't the person doing her a disservice by saying that? I always loved (and still love) Janet in her own right. It's funny, I was going through some stuff yesterday that I had at my dad's apartment, and I found a box of old magazines. I had a lot of Essence and Ebony mags that featured Janet Jackson on the cover that I'd forgotten about. I was glad to see them again. (I'll be getting slip covers for them ASAP.) I've watched her as Penny on Good Times, as Charlene on Different Strokes, and as Cleo on the Fame TV series ( in our area, it used to come on after Soul Train back in the 80's). I enjoyed her in Poetic Justice and Why Did I Get Married? I enjoy her music (I know she can't see like Jennifer Hudson, but I appreciate what both have to offer.). I guess what bothered me enough to post about what I saw in the commercial, is that I feel like some people only see performer and not woman who recently lost her brother (I lost my mother 2 years ago, and I'm still so far from over it, that it's not even funny.) I feel as though fans, no matter who they're fans of, should always be mindful that the people we admire/enjoy watching (or both) are just that, people. I may have blogged about this a little before, and I'm sorry, but it's something I've really given quite a bit of thought to lately.