Who succeeds Michael Jackson in terms of Q-factor?

Cafe Society
1

As mentioned in other threads, one of the most amazing things about MJ was that there was no corner of the globe where people didn’t know him. He wasn’t just known in the Arab world- he had business interests and good friends and was being courted (and sued over) plans to produce CDs for Arab recording studios. People in nursing homes and pre-schools knew who he was.

The scandals and general/incredible weirdness factor was as well known. And then the entire thing was based in this “kissed by God” almost super human talent as a performer.

So, now that “The King is Dead”, long live who?

I’m trying to think of what celebrities would equal or at least come closest to him in-

1- Amazing talent

2- Universal fame

3- the Byronic “mad, bad, and dangerous to know” weirdness factor

but is still alive.

Any thoughts?

I can think of people who have 2 out of 3, or people who have traces of all three, but not in the same dosages.

Johnny Depp- He’s known to be a very weird guy. His druggie days are mostly behind him (though you never know with celebrities- they’re notorious for the “she’s my soulmate” interview followed by divorce proceedings the next week, or “so glad I gave up drugs” followed by rehab announcements the next week). He’s super famous- but I don’t think they’d know as many would known him in the rice patties and the Arctic circle as knew Jackson. And he’s an amazing actor, but… there are others who are just as good.

Madonna- Well, she’s still big, she still makes headlines with her personal life, she’s greatly talented, but she’s also entering the Norma Desmond phase of her career, and I doubt she’s that big in the Arab world and 2nd world countries. (She did make major headlines in India when several Hindu sects objected to her dancing, but that was a long time ago in show biz years.)

Cher- well, she’s got traces of all 3, but- overall, no. She’s more institution and less legend.

Who would you nominate?

2

In entertainment, I don’t think there will ever be one star who means as much to tens of millions of people as Elvis, the Beatles, and even Michael Jackson did.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t performers BETTER than Michael Jackson- just that, nowadays, people have so many more TV channels to pick from and so many musical acts to choose from that there will never again be ONE artist that (seemingly) practically everyone listens to and loves.

The one field in which we still have people idolized by tens of millions is sports. If, say, Michael Jordan were to die in the next year or so, he’d get as much attention as Michael Jackson did.

3

This is a little off topic, but I was wondering how big a deal Kurt Cobain’s death was back in '94? I was alive but really unaware of music and such. I know it was a big deal, but how does it compare to MJ’s death?

4

It was the only one even on a par with Jackson in the entertainment industry until you get back to Lennon, but that was just in America, it was probably not as big in the rest of the world.

He wasn’t as big, certainly, but the circumstances of his death and his being almost at his peak of popularity made the news almost as big.

5

It was apparently pretty big in England. Nick Hornsby’s novel About a Boy mentions the crowds and distraught she-fans when he died. (This wasn’t in the movie as it would have cemented the story to 1994.)

6

For me in my early 20’s it was not that big of a deal, to my wife who was still a teenager at the time Cobain’s death appearently had a huge impact on her and her friends. To this day she and her friends can all remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard about his death (a’la JFK). From the reactions I have heard from fans of MJ that I know they are similarly affected.

7

More crying. I really haven’t heard anyone calling up to the radio stations in tears for MJ.

8

Angelina Jolie has #2 and #3; she’s a good actress but I don’t know if I’'d classify her as having “amazing” talent. I think she might be equally/better known than Depp. With the adoptions and brother makeout session, she’s well covered on #3.

She also has Brad Pitt, which gets her bonus points.

9

Madonna is a good shout - not in Michael’s league but up there. Probably falls down on #2 - You need to think a little to say what she is talented at, construct a bit of a case. She doesn’t have that indisputable, visceral ability that MJ, Elvis etc displayed. Can’t think of anyone bigger/better though right now.

10

Kurt Cobain’s death wasn’t even in the same league. It certainly had an impact on his fans, but even with Nirvana being a huge act at the time, it was relevant to a much smaller number of people. Nirvana was big to a relatively small age band, after all; they’d only been a seriously important band for about four years. He was iconic, but mostly to white people who like guitar-driven rock music and whose formative musical years were the early 90s.

Jackson was an internationally famous superstar for longer than Kurt Cobain lived. His fame is much broader and his appeal crosses over racial boundaires and musical types. He leaves a much, much greater legacy in popular culture, too. Half the music videos on TV are direct descendants of “Beat It.”

I think Busy Scissors hits it on the head; Madonna is sort of similar but not quite at that level. If there’s going to be another Michael Jackson, we’ve yet to know who they are.

11

Wait, Madonna is still alive? Does someone really want to tell me this thing isn’t some sort of day-walking zombie?

12

OMG! What happened to her arms?

13

I agree. Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are the only people who could even come close to sniffing MJ’s worldwide appeal.

14

Well, she was bitten by one of the infected, and has since become one herself. Don’t you know how zombies work? :smack:

15

I thought the Kaballah band protected you from zombie bites. (I wonder what the zombie’s reaction was when he bit her.)

16

Not in the entertainment world, but Princess Di’s death was big time.

Muhammed Ali may be close, but he is past his prime and becoming lesser known.

17

Thanks for the info on Kurt Cobain–it’s weird how much passes you by when you’re nine.

That came to my mind, too. I remember what a huge deal it was at the time. I don’t think anything close has happened since then.

18

Michael Jackson’s popularity is up on a par with Elvis and The Beatles. There’s no one left alive now that has that level of universal popularity and who commands such worldwide attention. And the way media has fragmented, we may never see a person like that again. He might really be the last of a very rare breed.

19

And yet, when did the REAL MJ last do anything noteworthy?

(thinking)

Okay, neither did Jackson. They compare well as current-nobodies, except Jackson timed his death well. It will take Jordan another year before he can die in [del]peace[/del] from the celebrity hellzone that some want. (I think the REAL MJ likes not being a celebrity 24-7)

20

I was pretty sure that Cobain died in April; I just checked and this was the case. I was an RA in a dorm of about 1000 people. I definitely remember people circling around TVs in the lobby when the news broke. I don’t remember anyone crying, but if I’m being honest your average college kid in Austin, Texas probably wasn’t a huge Nirvana fan. There was quite a following of Pearl Jam at the time, though. Grunge was popular but it was hardly all-encompassing.

I do think that several people mentioned in this threads had moments of stardom close to MJ but not sustained. As many have noted, the very thing that made Jackson famous - his legendary musical and theatrical work - he hadn’t done in many years. Michael Jordan is legendary but outside of the US would there be even more than a moderate response? Ali is a good choice too but I think the twenty-somethings only know of him through Will Smith and his shocking appearance at the Olympics ('96?).

Tiger, while famous, doesn’t connect to people in the same way that MJ (or the other MJ or Ali) does. I think one nominee might be David Beckham - certainly, worldwide. He certainly doesn’t have the US’ attention, but he is known here, perhaps more for being a celebrity than an athlete.

The music world is so fragmented, it’s hard to think of a figure with “universal” appeal. Madonna, though relevant musically in the 90s, did the whole disappear to the UK thing which pretty much removed her from the circulation of the tabloids in a major way - she’s still known, makes the occasional splash, but again I think her generational appeal is limited.

The world of film may resemble the music scene of the 80s regarding saturation. So I think one candidate - keeping in mind there will probably not be someone of the magnitude of MJ any time soon - would be Will Smith. Competent music career with credibility - not a celebrity that made an album, several blockbuster films that have been popular worldwide, Hollywood-glamour marriage and family, and a little tabloid interest (his supposed dabbling/affiliation with the Church of Scientology). Jolie isn’t known for her work onscreen - I have never seen a film with her in it, to the best of my memory. Pitt is, though. Tom Cruise is also another candidate.