A few words on Michael...

There's a scene that takes place in Jabba the Hutt’s palace in the movie Return of the Jedi, when this huge monster called the Rancor is unleashed on Luke Skywalker but Luke turns the table and kills the Rancor instead. Then its caretakers, two huge shirtless, hairy men embrace each other and sob uncontrollably over the loss of their pet.

The Michael Jackson coverage for the first day or so has teetered on uncomfortable and bizarre.

I saw this one dude in California, an uber fan, one of those guys that gets the operation to look like Michael Jackson but didn’t realize that Mike would go on to have several more operations and this guy couldn’t keep up financially with Michael so now he’s stuck in 2009 looking like the Michael Jackson from the Bad album?

That guy.

He was standing on some street in a pose like he wanted to break out in the Billie Jean routine but was just too distraught to perform so he just stood frozen in the first move of the routine: hand on his hat, glove hand extended, legs spread apart. And he just stood there. And people were coming from all directions just to console that guy. And the only emotion I could muster from the whole scene was "Seriously?"

Then of course every D lister has to be interviewed about how they felt about the passing of Michael Jackson. Thank you CNN. I was very moved and interested to hear how Spencer from The Hills was coping with his grief. It seems he will recover. Your interview with singer Aaron Neville was equally embarrassing:

“So when was the last time you saw Michael?”

“We never actually met…” Aaron Neville then admitted. "But I felt like I knew him. I loved his music sooo much…”

I never owned a Beat It jacket. Never wore one white glove. Never had a Jheri Curl or tried to dance like him. Well, not in public. I am what I consider to be a "regular" fan. Someone that really appreciated Michael Jackson's music and artistry since childhood. As kids, we'd rent the Jackson Five albums from the library. Record players didn’t have a rewind button so we'd have to literally pick up the needle and put it back to the part of the song where you didn't understand the lyrics until you got them.

In an interview a few years back Michael Jackson referred to Stevie Wonder as a "musical prophet." I believe the same could be said of him. His genius was seemingly effortless though you know he worked hard to attain his goal of perfection.

True story: I saw someone last week in a club all decked out like Jody Watley: the huge hoop earrings, the skirt over black leggings, big hair, and denim jacket. Very "Don't You Want Me."

“Hey Ms. Watley," I said.

"Excuse me?”

“Hey Jody Watley,” I said again, this time louder over the music.

“My name’s Evelyn. Who’s Jody Watley?”

“What year were you born?”

“1988.”

“Never mind.”

I couldn’t explain Thriller to you if you weren’t there. The album was a monster that took off on a life of its own like no other album before or after by ANYONE. Even the B sides were hits. It seemed like a new song from Thriller was released like every 6 months keeping the album itself on the charts for years.

The Police came out with their classic album Synchronicity which included the hit single "Every Breath You Take" the same year Thriller was released.

Sorry, Sting.

That’s the equivalent of someone, another famous person perhaps, dying the same day as Michael.

Sorry, Farrah.

Farrah Fawcett's passing, sadly, became a mere footnote in the whole MJ brouhaha. CNN's Larry King had a whole show dedicated to her, with interviews lined up with close friends and family, and cancelled that whole show and dedicated it instead to the passing of Michael Jackson. Farrah’s death was relegated to being mentioned as a mere afterthought.

“Oh, and 70’s icon Farrah Fawcett died earlier today too…”

But that's what happens when a person could say in all seriousness they were going to perform a sold out concert in Bucharest. Where exactly is Bucharest and what language do they speak there?

What is it about a single soul that could touch over a billion people? What kind of gift is that? Or is it a curse? To be sure, both sides have valid arguments. It was reported that the internet traffic searching news of his death on Twitter, Facebook and Google caused the internet to crash.

Who else would demand that kind of attention?

You know the old adage there’s a thin line between genius and insanity? I’m sure I was a minority but I always considered Michael Jackson somewhat normal in a genius kind of way. How many geniuses were considered “normal?” The eternally sockless Albert Einstein certainly wasn’t considered “normal” in his time. Neither was van Gogh or the child prodigy Amadeus.

How “normal” is Prince?

Michael Jackson gets a pass for hanging with the likes of Macauley Culkin, Emmanuel Lewis and Brooke Shields; other child stars who traded in their childhood for fame.

Generous to a fault, I believe he became an all too easy target. If your son’s virginity was taken by another man wouldn’t you want your pound of flesh? Or would you rather negotiate to have a screenplay you wrote made into a movie like one father or to have a mall in Vegas shut down so you can have a Versace shopping spree like another parent demanded?

Part of his legacy is that his music touched all generations and was timeless. He made songs you could dance to with your grandmother at a wedding; songs you don’t mind your preteen daughter uploading to her Ipod. True creative artists with career longevity don’t make songs called Birthday Sex.

Unfortunately, though, even in death nothing about Michael Jackson is Black and White. The first autopsy was inconclusive, another one was ordered and the speculation will continue even after that.

The only known facts seem to be he leaves behind three children, had a mother who adored him, a family that loved him and fans worldwide that worshipped him.

And that Michael Jackson is Gone too Soon.