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Well to start, he was the first black man to be on MTV, the video "Billie Jean". So if you see a black man on MTV now, you have Michael to thank. ALL today's singers, ALL of them(except for Eminem maybe), have been influenced by Michael and they would benothing today if it wasn't for Michael, he created music and the singers are all followingMichael's footsteps.Michael goes from charity to charity nonstop. "I do as many charities as I do concerts." Andthe media never mentions what he does for charities because they only want bad news abouthim, they don't want to make him look good. "..but I don't care if they don't mention it because I'm not doing it for publicity, I'm doing it from the heart."You can search on Youtube and see videos of a lot of things he has done for the children.There are a lot of songs that are about healing the world and making it a better place. Heal theWorld, Man in the Mirror, Cry, We Are the World, The Lost Children, Earth Song.And he has also been a victim of false allegations and survived it.

My post on Michael Jackson and fashion over at the WeAreTheMarket.com blog. I'm turning comments off here, but comments are welcome on the original post atanytime. I'll even make an effort to answer them all the way I do here ;)

Michael Jackson: Pop CultureFashion Icon

When it comes to the world of fashion, both men's and women's, Michael Jackson is fashion icon.He inspired us to wear loafers and white socks. He inspired us to wear jackets with military details. Heinspired us to wear one glittery glove. He inspired a resurgence of aviator glasses too.You get the picture. We know the looks. You don't need us to list them for you after the jump.His influence on the world of trends and fashion is simply undeniable.

Additionally, he inspired designers. All you have to do is tune into some of the Twitter streams of those infashion. Designer Brian Atwoodlamented Michael's death as well as Farrah Faucet's passing on Twitter, “RIP Farrah and Micahel Jackson...We will remember you both....!! So sad.”What's great was the symbiotic relationship that Michael had with fashion and that fashion had with Michael.The best example is the Spring 2009 Balmine collection. Their military inspired jacket couldn't help but remind you of Michael. Of course, because fashion definitelyinfluences entertainers we saw other celebrities pick up the trend. Now we're seeing a strong 80s-retro feelprobably worn best right now by pop divaRihanna.However, it's symbiotic in that Michael was a legendary shopper. This year he was photographed wearingpieces from the Balmine collection.So who inspired whom?Does it really matter? He drew from the fashion world and they drew from him.We won't be able to see Michael in the planned bedazzled Swarovski designs for his scheduled “This is It”concert dates. But what we do know is it would have been attention grabbing and influential.King of Pop, you'll be missed. You'll inspire fashion for years to come.Rest in Peace, Michael.

'Thriller,' the Michael Jackson albumthat remixed pop culture, turns 25

Thursday, November 29th 2007, 4:00 AM

The 'Thriller' album cover Eons have passed since anyone paid attention to Michael Jackson for a happy reason. But this week, the endlessparade of high scandals and low antics deserves to be overshadowed by the anniversary of a key moment in pophistory that he made happen.Twenty-five years ago - on Saturday, Dec. 1, 1982 - Jackson delivered "Thriller," a terse nine-song set that threwso huge a boulder into the pop pool that it ripples to this day. It wasn't just the music: "Thriller's" related productsand performances affected video, dance and fashion on levels that had to do with everything from esthetics torace.To commemorate such a startling divide, The News has learned, Jackson's former record company, Sony, plansto issue a commemorative package of the classic work on Feb. 5. The set will combine "Thriller's" original songswith four remixes of its hits, overseen by Kanye West, will.i.am and Akon. An additional track, titled "For All Time"- cut back in the day but left out of the initial set - will be included, along with a DVD that collects the star's mosticonic video footage from the era.At the same time comes word from Jermaine Jackson of a full Jackson 5 reunion tour for 2008, their first roadshow since they came together to catch the tail end of "Thriller" mania in 1984.As with all works that jump-start history, it's hard to remember what things were like before "Thriller" camebarreling along. Jackson's album carved out a sound, courtesy of producer Quincy Jones, that virtually defined'80s style and production. Such songs as "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" housed rhythms and textures like none before.And the songs begat videos that greatly elaborated that emerging art form.It may sound like nothing at this point, but the mere use of the real sound of a garage door opening at the start of the "Beat It" clip startled back then. When fans first caught sight of that clip, it hit with the creative bang of "TheBirth of a Nation." Nothing in the medium was the same thereafter.Likewise, Jackson's fancy moves changed the role of dance in pop, pushing it decisively to center stage.Jackson's moonwalk took that achievement to the ultimate level. As seen on the TV special "Motown 25:Yesterday, Today, Forever" in 1983, the moonwalk became one of

the

transcendent moments in pop history,approaching the Beatles' appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." All pop fans remember where they were at theprecise moment Jackson went up on his toes and moved backward with a glide that seemed to defy gravity, timeand space.