What Michael Jackson's death did to L.A. traffic last night...

[dd74]

Thank goodness I was heading north, away from Downtown L.A. toward Pasadena. According to traffic reports, every single freeway either on or going toward West L.A., as well as Sunset Blvd from Beverly Hills through Bel Air to Holmby Hills, was completely jammed because of M.J.

1) The 405 was frozen as it's near UCLA Medical Center, which is where Jackson was taken by ambulance. Westwood was impassable - no one could get in or out of the Westwood Village area.

2) Sunset Blvd needed law enforcement help because cars were nearly getting into accidents, slowing (and stopping) to see Jackson's Holmby Hills rented estate.

3) Hollywood Blvd was another freeze-zone because Jackson's star is on the Walk of Fame, and people were trying to get a glimpse of the tributes left there - the Transformers II movie didn't help either. Eventually, Hollywood Blvd was in fact shut down.

4) The 101 Freeway toward Encino-Tarzana became a mess because that's where the Jackson Family estate is located. If this is a problem, Calabasas, Malibu, Oxnard and Santa Barbara will be reached much later than anticipated.

5) Later in the afternoon, the 10 Freeway toward Downtown L.A. got into the fray as people attempted to actually follow the sheriff's helicopter as it flew Jackson's body to the L.A. Coroner's office. That messed up traffic even more than usual.

Jeez-Louise - O.J.'s slow-speed pursuit combined with the Northridge Earthquake freeway collapses couldn't compare to this vehicular gridlock.


It makes you wonder what M.J.'s funeral is going to be like.

[m21sniper]

All that for a wildly insane, surgically deformed child molester.

What a country.

[onlycafe]

hey, at least there was no rioting or looting.

[widgeon13]

Just wait for the funeral

[mossguy]

Originally Posted by onlycafe

hey, at least there was no rioting or looting.

Yet.

Best,
Tom

[cantdrv55]

Damn you guys are tough on MJ. Yes, he was weird and may have been a pedophile. But, his talents are on par with Mozart's.

[onlycafe]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

" his talents are on par with Mozart's."

that is a bit of a stretch.
i was not a fan of his, but i have no glee from his passing. he was a sad character, with a hatful of demons.

i am kind of upset that his passing removed any attention from the farewell that was due farrah,[another troubled soul.]
god rest and keep them both.

[widgeon13]

I heard someone last night compare him to Fred Astaire, that is a stretch as well.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by onlycafe

that is a bit of a stretch.

No, it's not a bit of a stretch.

And I'm more a fan of Mozart than Michael Jackson.

[Cdnone1]

A little about Hollywood and the traffic.
Hollywood Blvd was closed between Orange and Highland because of the opening of Bruno. It was closed so Cohen could ride a mirrored tank down the to the front of Manns.
MJ star was covered by the red carpet ( I was standing on it).
It was funny that a few people had left flowers at Michel Jackson (the talk show stars)



the traffic around Manns was no problem

Steve

[speeder]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

I heard someone last night compare him to Fred Astaire, that is a stretch as well.

Not a stretch at all, at least not to anyone who knows the first thing about dance. Believe me, it's unanimous.

What some of you guys are trying to sell is the equivalent of saying that M. Schumacher or Jackie Stewart were not really great drivers if by chance they got caught boning the babysitter. I can't imagine what it's like being a tighty-righty and having to pick artists and entertainers based on some (fake) measure of morality.

[dd74]

Spot on, Denis. That's what it seems this is becoming - a left vs. right thing - how utterly pathetic.

Just so the right wing knows, Bing Crosby allegedly beat his children on a regular basis. He was a grade one a-hole, but sure could croon.

[speeder]

Bing Crosby was a POS. He made MJ look like an angel.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

I heard someone last night compare him to Fred Astaire, that is a stretch as well.

Actually it's not.

“Oh, God! That boy moves in a very exceptional way. That’s the greatest dancer of the century”. - Fred Astaire

“I didn’t want to leave this world without knowing who my descendant was. Thank you Michael!”- Fred Astaire (shortly before his death)

Michael also dedicated his biography to Fred, they were friends.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by dd74

Spot on, Denis. That's what it seems this is becoming - a left vs. right thing - how utterly pathetic.

I found it interesting that some of the more ardent right-wingers have been pro (or at least sympathetic) to MJ, while many of the real lefties here have crucified him...

[varmint]

for all the talk of reforming los angeles, as long as there are that many dumb people here, all efforts are futile.

[dd74]

People drove up from San Diego and in from Arizona to be at UCLA. I wouldn't do such a thing...well, maybe I would for Isabella Adjani.

[MMARSH]

Originally Posted by speeder

Not a stretch at all, at least not to anyone who knows the first thing about dance. Believe me, it's unanimous.

What some of you guys are trying to sell is the equivalent of saying that M. Schumacher or Jackie Stewart were not really great drivers if by chance they got caught boning the babysitter. I can't imagine what it's like being a tighty-righty and having to pick artists and entertainers based on some (fake) measure of morality.

+2 Some people have a hard time appreciating the contribution or significance of something or someone they don't like. Lots of self rightous folks around here. Who knows what things would come out it Mozart or Fred Astaire were around today.

For a real easy comparison, at a car show, I may not like the type of car it is, But I can appreciate the effort that went into the restoration or quality of the paint even if I don't like the color.

[Rick Lee]

I don't see MJ as in the same universe as Mozart. I'm learning some Mozart stuff on guitar right now. There's not an MJ song I couldn't easily learn on any instrument, other than Beat It, which Eddie Van Halen played for him. His music is not in the least bit challenging. He didn't write much if any of it himself. His voice wasn't anything special. Yes, he could dance and he had starpower/charisma. But that stuff doesn't hold up for centuries like Mozart's does. A few of his songs will hold up for a very long time. But no one will be studying his writing style or learning how to play his stuff because he didn't write it and it's not challenging to play.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I don't see MJ as in the same universe as Mozart. I'm learning some Mozart stuff on guitar right now. There's not an MJ song I couldn't easily learn on any instrument, other than Beat It, which Eddie Van Halen played for him. His music is not in the least bit challenging. He didn't write much if any of it himself. His voice wasn't anything special. Yes, he could dance and he had starpower/charisma. But that stuff doesn't hold up for centuries like Mozart's does. A few of his songs will hold up for a very long time. But no one will be studying his writing style or learning how to play his stuff because he didn't write it and it's not challenging to play.

They might be trying to do the moonwalk for a few decades.



Oh, do I need to add a ?