Thursday Thirteen #42 . . . 13 Michael Jackson and J5 Memories . . .

1) Getting 3 J5 albums for Christmas

2) Stacking my J5 albums on a turntable and listening to them one after the other

3) Somebody screaming "The Jackson Five are on TV!" and everybody running inside so as not to miss another spin, turn or lyric

4) Arguing with my best friend over which one of us was gonna marry Michael Jackson

5) Watching the J5 cartoon on Saturday morning

6) Buying any books or teen magazines I see on the newstands which have a story or pictures of MJ and/or the Jackson Five

7) Adorning my walls with posters of Michael and the J5

8) Making scrapbooks with pictures of Michael and the J5

9) Michael Jackson's appearance on the Dating Game

10) Michael Jackson doing the Robot to "Dancing Machine"

11) Michael Jackson doing the Moon Walk to "Billie Jean"

12) Missing the "old" Michael long before his death

13) Listening to my son play "I'll Be There" on this alto sax approximately an hour before the news of Michael Jackson's death hit the airwaves

Do you have any memories of Michael Jackson and/or the Jackson Five you'd like to share?

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MICHAEL (The King of Pop) . . . I'll Miss You . . . Rest In Peace . . .

Yes, even though I plead guilty to having poked fun at the one-glove-wonder and his family over the last several years, I've always had nothing but the highest respect for Michael Jackson's talents as an entertainer, singer and performer.

The first music I ever owned were vinyl albums cut by the Jackson Five, albums I still own to this day. My first school girl crushes were on MJ and his brothers, back when they sported the big 'fros and the bell bottoms. Posters of them from Right On magazine and elsewhere graced my bedroom walls. All it took was for somebody to shout, "The Jackson Five are on TV!" and like all of the other kids who'd been out playing or standing around outside, and I was off and running for the house. I'm old and grown and I still get chills when I see those clips off Mike and his brothers on stage doing those moves and singing those songs . . . "ABC" "The Love You Save" and "I Want You Back."

Damn, he's gone.

An hour before the news of Michael Jackson's death hit the airwaves, my son was upstairs in his room praticing "I'll Be There" on his alto sax. Something tells me that wasn't at all by chance. And I guess it's only fitting that the song is now one I'll always associate with the news of MJ's passing.

I'm sad, but not only about Mike. To be honest, a part of me, the starry-eyed little girl, I suppose, was really hoping Mike would finally get it together and reunite with his brothers for one last concert tour. Seriously. But it won't be until December, when I take my old J5 Christmas album out for a listen and hear that sweet angelic voice, that I'll really break down and cry.