Thursday, June 25, 2009

The Rule of Three















We have recently lost three pop culture icons. First it was the man who practically invented the term sidekick, Ed McMahon. Then today in rapid succession came sex-symbol icon (and former spouse of the Six Million Dollar Man) Farrah Fawcett and the King of Pop: Michael Jackson.

McMahon made news most recently for his financial woes. But it seems kind of apropos to me that a guy who really rose to fame in large part to his seeming to be everyman to most folks suffered the same financial woes many people are currently facing. I heard a commentator on NPR say the other morning that when McMahon was asked what he wanted on his tombstone, said he really did not want one. But if he had to have one, he hoped it would read that he "was a good man and a great Marine."

Farrah's poster (pic above) probably hung in more homes during the '70s then pictures of Jesus. How hot was Farrah? The issue of Playboy she posed for as she hit 50 is still one of the highest selling Playboys ever.

And what can we say about Mr. Thriller himself? In reading some of the coverage of the whole Sanford Sex Scandal, I think it was Josh Marshall over at Talking Points Memo who reminded folks of the old saying that no one deserves to be remembered solely for the worst moments in their life. I'll choose to remember Jackson solely for his Off the Wall and Jackson 5 days. To this day, I cannot hear the Five's "ABC" playing and not smile and sing along. Shake it, baby. Shake it...

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