SceneIt_by_Marijke's blog

It's funny because it's true.

I miss Olive Snook. Sniff.

So the sad, strange life of Michael Jackson is over. And, however you felt about what he became, you can’t feel good about the circus that his death will surely become. He was a singular pop culture phenomena. Unimaginably talented, unfathomably bizarre, unquestionably controversial.

The media frenzy that has already begun will no doubt rival the Anna Marie Smith and possibly even Princess Diana in size, scope and sheer nuttiness. Someone will show up outside his funeral with a chimpanzee, I just know it. There might also be protesters. Talent does not excuse possible misdeeds. Nor does a tragic childhood, nor does wealth or fame or anything else.

We all know what he was as his life’s end. An oddity, a relic, a punchline. But it’s also important to remember where it started. With that bounce, that energy, that voice and that afro. Just a little kid filled with promise and eager to please. And then, as a young man, he seemed to defy gravity itself – his body made of magic and mystery.

If ever you need reminding that life is indeed a long, strange trip, look to life of Michael Jackson. It’s also a reminder that the leap from fairy tale to cautionary tale is a very small one.

The 8-year-old in me is sad today. The adult in me is, too, but for different reasons.

Never mind the peanuts, give me some rhymes. I'm getting on a plane next week for a quick vacation. While I'm not flying Southwest, but I sure hope my airline breaks out with a rival rapping flight attendant. It could be a whole East Coast/West Coast of the skies thing. Regardless, this is the only time I've voluntarily listened to the pre-flight instructions twice in a row. Enjoy.

This clip hit the internet over the weekend and I resisted its viral charms until this afternoon. I've now watched it three times in a row and am drying the tears that involuntarily welled up. I'm not going to ruin it for you, but all you need to know before you hit play is that Susan Boyle is a 47-year-old unemployed, unmarried, never-been-kissed UK woman who auditioned on "Britain's Got Talent." Keep dreaming, world.