What this post ignores is there is such a thing as “star power”. And Michael and Janet are simply in a class of their own, great even in comparison to other greats like their siblings.
Janet Jackson exists. That's the entire answer most people miss.
Same parents. Same Gary, Indiana household. Same Joe Jackson childhood. She's the only artist in Billboard Hot 100 history to land 7 top-5 singles from one album (Rhythm Nation 1814). She holds the female record for consecutive top-10 entries at 18. Five Grammys. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 2019. A pop monster on her own terms.
The talent ceiling argument dies on her career alone. What separated Michael was the team he assembled the second he could.
In 1980, right after Off the Wall, Michael hired John Branca. Branca's first major move was firing Joe Jackson from his son's business affairs, by fax. Joe had been running the business side of all six Jackson brothers since the Motown years. Michael then stacked the rest of the operation. Quincy Jones to produce. Rod Temperton to write ("Rock With You," "Thriller," "Off the Wall"). Frank DiLeo to manage. Every one of them a peak operator in their lane.
Off the Wall (1979): 20 million sold. Thriller (1982): 70+ million, still the best-selling album in history. Bad (1987): 35 million. ATV Music Publishing purchased in 1985 for $47.5M. Sony bought the estate's 50% stake in 2016 for $750M.
Janet ran the same play in a different city. She walked into Flyte Tyme Studios in Minneapolis in 1985 and handed her career to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Control hit 14 million worldwide. Rhythm Nation 12 million. Janet., another 14 million.
Jermaine actually proved the thesis once. He linked up with Stevie Wonder for "Let's Get Serious" in 1980. The song went #1 R&B for 6 weeks and beat Michael's "Rock With You" as the soul hit of the year. He just never built the full stack. Stayed at Motown, married Berry Gordy's daughter, ran on family-favor production. The other brothers stayed inside the family business under Joe's management. They had real Epic-era hits ("Shake Your Body," "Can You Feel It"). They never broke out at Michael's scale.
Two Jackson siblings reached immortality. Both did the same thing. They fired the dad and hired the best team money could rent.
Not to mention it looks more like a studio cash grab following the success of films like Elvis (they’re even doing the tired “title is just the first name” bit) than an actual attempt to tell what is an incredibly nuanced and morbid story
A huge reason I’m not looking forward to the MJ biopic is because Jaafar Jackson’s dancing in all the trailers is ugly and goes against the tenets of dance that MJ spoke about
Dragonflies perform an amazing stunt so quickly most people never see it.
After emerging from a pond dive, the insects execute several summersaults in midair—a feat scientists have captured for the first time with high-speed video.
The bugs aren’t showing off: The quick dip cools them down, and the loop-the-loops help them dry off by flicking away the water. Learn more: https://t.co/R5X5eiiBUV
@cinemattie Couldn’t agree more.
One geek out note for some of the other comments - the water ripple interference patterns when the Matriarch speaks are properly modelled on the frequencies in the sound waves. (Great job Weta).
When it cuts to the other angle and you see the camera person tapping their foot in the air.,. THAT is cinema to me everyone should watch Live in Bucharest
34-year old ‘AVATAR’ fan is facing existential crisis:
“I was 18 for the first one. Then The Way of Water released when I was 31. Now Fire and Ash is out this year. But I’ll be 38 when Avatar 4 comes out… and 40 for Avatar 5?? WHERE IS THE TIME GOING?? HURRY IT UP JAMES”