RIGHT BRAIN ::: My Teenage Pursuit

First things first: I loved Michael Jackson (still do) immensely when I was a kid and that Oprah interview from 1993 would have to be one of the most prized events in television history, whether you're a fan or not. Time magazine even had a double-page spread about that TV special with the headline "Peter Pan Speaks" — I still got a copy of it somewhere in our house.

It aired on a Sunday night in March. I was feeling guilty staying up past bedtime because Monday mornings were always difficult but I just had to see and hear MJ just sit down and talk like a normal person. Come to think of it, whatever he did back then was, for me, nothing like the ordinary anyway.

The man was my "idol" and I was only too excited to talk about him to anyone. Sadly, back at school the next morning, hardly any of the kids had anything interesting to say about the interview other than admiring Michael Jackson's theme park rides. They knew I was a big fan though and were nice enough to share every now and again about the cool dance moves and videos. But nobody cared to talk about the songs or about the person.

Through the years, I've become less and less enchanted with Michael Jackson. Partly because I've been jaded by things around me and because Michael has stopped creating. He's stalled and, being a fan who's seen all his material, I kind of wish he'd just go back to basics. I hope that with this recent announcement to rebuild his musical career, he'll finally remember that it IS about the music and not the costumes, big budget, publicity, or special effects.

But I will always have this in mind:

Remember that when Michael Jackson beatboxes, it's nothing like what your average boom-chick-a-boom-boom Timberlake wigga does.