50 facts about Michael Jackson (on his 50th birthday)

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August 28, 11:15 PM

by Liz Barrett, Celebrity News Examiner

 

 

 

They found a ton of great stuff and honed it down to 50 fascinating facts for Michael's big 5-Oh.

Here's what they found (we edited it just a teeny-tiny bit for American readers).

Enjoy!

1. "Billie Jean" was the first video by a black artist to air on MTV.
2. Michael owns the rights to the South Carolina State Anthem South Carolina on My Mind, recorded by Hank Martin and Buzz Arledge.
3. His wax likeness is in five Madame Tussauds museums across the world. Only Elvis Presley and Madonna have more Tussaud figures they have six each.
4. His total lifetime earnings from royalties, solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts and endorsements have been estimated at $500 million.
5. He has has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for radio play, located at 1541 Vine Street, and one for recording at 6927 Hollywood Boulevard.
6. He received a Presidential Humanitarian Award from Ronald Reagan in 1984 for his support of charities helping people overcome alcohol and drug abuse.
7. Michael Jackson is the seventh of nine children.
8. He fought fellow 50-year-old Madonna on MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch (she won).
9. "Bad," "Dangerous" and "Thriller" are among the bestselling albums of all time.
10. "Thriller" remains the biggest-selling album since records began.
11. Michael has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.
12. He wears his trademark black armband to remind fans of the suffering of children around the world.
13. His favorite superhero is Morph from the X-Men.
14. He picked up his iconic moonwalk moves, which he debuted at the Motown 25th Anniversary show in 1983, from streetdancers he spotted performing outside a hotel.
15. When MC Hammer challenged him to a dance-off, Michael reportedly responded, "I've seen your videos and every single dance move you use, you got off of me."
16. Little Richard wanted Michael to play him in a biopic.
17. Bubbles the chimp and Ben the rat are two of Jackson's most famous pets, but he also befriended a ram called Mr Tibbs, a python called Crusher and Louie the llama.
18. An obsessed French fan committed suicide in 1984 after his mother refused to allow him to undergo surgery to look like Michael.
19. In 1984, a U.S. library accused him of owing it over $1 million in overdue book fines. Officials said they would scrap the fines if he returned the books autographed.
20. He dedicated Blood On The Dancefloor to Sir Elton John.
21. He is a vegetarian.
22. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Jackson 5 on May 6, 1997. He was inducted as a solo artist on March 19, 2001.
23. He has dated Brooke Shields and Tatum O'Neal.
24. His nicknames include the Gloved One, Wacko Jacko, Jacko, The King of Pop, and MJ. Close friends call him Smelly.
25. The "Thriller" video was voted the greatest music video of all time in a recent British poll.
26. He won an MTV award for Best Movie Song in 1994 for "Will You Be There" from the movie "Free Willy."
27. The "Scream" video he made with sister Janet is the most expensive promo ever made, costing more than $7 million.
28. "HIStory" is the biggest selling double album ever released in the U.S.
29. "Blood on the Dance Floor" is the biggest selling remix album of all time.
30. He really is a King in West Africa. He was given a royal title by villagers in Gabon, Ivory Coast in 1992.
31. His pre-concert ritual includes drinking Ricola candy dissolved in hot water.
32. He owns the patent for a stage shoe device that allows performers to lean forward and appear to defy gravity.
33. He was born in Gary, Indiana in 1958. The town is planning a tribute museum.
34. Macauley Culkin is godfather to Michael's two oldest children, Paris and Prince Michael.
35. Macauley helped Michael design the amusement park at his Neverland.
36. Lisa Marie Presley's former brother-in-law and his wife were the witnesses at her Dominican Republic wedding to Michael in 1994.
37. He shares the record for the most Grammy Awards won in a single year with Carlos Santana and Norah Jones (eight).
38. He co-wrote "We Are The World" with Lionel Richie.
39. Michael is Nicole Richie's godfather. He also is godfather to Bee Gees star Barry Gibb's son Michael, and Oliver star Mark Lester's kids.
40. Michael and brother Tito were best men at Liza Minnelli and David Gest's wedding.
41. Michael's performance during the 1993 Super Bowl half-time show drew the largest TV audience in American history.
42. Martin Scorsese, John Singleton and John Landis have all directed his videos.
43. In 1999 he paid $1.5 million for the 1939 Best Picture Oscar, which was presented to producer David O. Selznick for "Gone With The Wind."
44. He appeared on a postage stamp in the Virgin Islands in the mid-1980s after locals voted him the superstar they'd most like to honor.
45. An extensive 1997 survey declared him was the Most Famous Person in the World.
46. He helped plan neighbor Gregory Peck's funeral.
47. He once described close friend Elizabeth Taylor as "a warm cuddly blanket that I love to snuggle up to and cover myself with".
48. "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening confirmed in 2003 (when the DVD was released) that Michael did the voice of a character in a mental institution in the "Stark Raving Dad" episode (1991). He had been credited as John Jay Smith because of contract issues.
49. Michael shares the same birthday as John McCain, who turns 72 today.
50. Can the King of Pop make a comeback? In a PopEater poll of 59,000 people, 71 percent answered "Not a chance."

Photo: Hollywood Grind

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