Idolator: Birthdays

A Half-Century Of Michael, A Quarter-Century Of Celebrity-Industrial Complex-Related Weirdness

Maura Johnston — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Tomorrow is Michael Jackson's 50th birthday, a milestone that will likely be feted by many a newspaper in need of a holiday-weekend feature hole and a lot of morning-radio shows dredging up old jokes about plastic surgery and hyperbaric chambers. Thinking about Jackson hitting the big 5-0 has actually made me think about how the whole culture of celebrity has changed over the course of his fame. After all, he was probably the first example of a famous person who got really weird that a lot of people in our generation knew—he went from unstoppable pop supernova to the world's most famous butt of a joke—and the tarnishment of his legacy over the past few years could be viewed as something of a harbinger for the TMZ-crazed "culture" we now exist in.

The "Leave Me Alone" video both acknowledged Jackson's place in the culture at the time and winked at it, insouciance that was no doubt helped along by that not-so-long-ago era's dominance by the mass media and the fact that back then, people looked at publications like the National Enquirer and Star in an askance way. (If the video were to be made today, it would be pulled apart by irony-deficient gossip bloggers and commenters yelling "FIRST!!11one.") But it's both interesting and disheartening to me how the cycle endured by Jackson, of him being the hottest thing on the planet then being turned on viciously by people who were ready and willing to believe the worst about him, has accelerated over the years, to the point where anyone even aspiring to the lowest rungs of "celebrity" almost needs to be outfitted with a neck brace in order to prepare themselves for the inevitable back/whiplash they're going to endure. (Particularly if they're female, or have feminine tendencies, because let's face it: sexist norms are hard to break. Surely I wasn't the only kid here who knew the grade-school rhyme with the line "Michael Jackson is a fag.")

Anyway, here's an American Bandstand performance by the Jackson 5, one that includes a song that exquisitely brings together joy and pain like few other songs ever have.

The interview between performances is somewhat heartbreaking, in hindsight.

Michael Jackson - Leave Me Alone [Dailymotion]
1970 AB I want you back/abc [Dailymotion]

Madonna Turns 50, "WaPost" Bloviates, World Turns

Michaelangelo Matos — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Jumping a little ahead of what's sure to be a flurry of think pieces devoted to Madonna's 50th birthday on August 16 is Hank Steuver of The Washington Post. Steuver's explicit angle is his career-long ambivalence toward her, which occasionally flashes glimmers of light: "Just watch a Madonna fan listen to the new Madonna album for the first time. There is such instantaneous loathing and fascination. You spend a week telling all your friends how bad the new album is, what a letdown it is, and then a week later, you magically decide you like it." More often, though, Steuver seems at pains to keep Madonna at arm's length even while letting us in on his stash of magazines with her on the cover; the result feels passive-aggressive, particularly when he scoffs at academics having picked up on her as a cause celibre. The logic of someone being paid to think on paper about a public figure mocking those who do the same thing in a different setting continues, as ever, to escape me. [Washington Post]

Busta And I Are Going To Get Cupcakes Later Today

Dan Gibson — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:30:00 EDT

I check Douglas Wolk's tributes to musicians' birthdays every day, partially because Wolk must have an incredible database at his fingertips, partially because his selections are near-impeccable. Today's choices—Cher (b. 1946, with David Bowie, singing "Young Americans"!) and Jane Wiedlin (b. 1958, duetting with Sparks)—are nice, but what about Busta Rhymes (b. 1972)? Those of us in the May 20 club are disappointed and saddened by the omission, sir. [Mincing Up The Morning]

The Most Offensive Thing Tommy Lee Has Ever Put In His Mouth

mjohnston — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:16:46 EDT

An Idolator tipster sent along a picture of what is, allegedly, the cake that was presented to Tommy Lee on the occasion of his 44th birthday, which was yesterday.

After the jump, a picture of the cake. Be warned: It's not safe for work at all. Or for lunch, for that matter.

What more is there to say, except: Happy birthday, dude!