This post was created as a way of thanking my dear friend Flor for sharing to me a beautiful MJ-inspired story she had written, where the impressive quote used for the above picture was taken from.  More love to you Flor! :)

“He is very much alive in my mind and always in my heart.”

Here's another MJ account article:

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Dickinson College grad to talk about his years working with Michael Jackson

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If Michael Jackson was the king of pop, Vincent Paterson was the man behind his crown. In his expansive resume of entertainment projects, the 1972 graduate of Dickinson College spent chunks of the last 25 years choreographing performances for celebrities including Madonna and Jackson, who died last summer.

Paterson, a theater major, will return to Dickinson to discuss his career at 7 p.m. March 31 in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium on West Louther Street between College and Cherry Streets in Carlisle.

He already knows the first question everyone’s going to ask about the “amazing, amazing man” who employed him for 16 years: “Most people what to know what I thought of Michael Jackson,” said Paterson. “Was he a nice guy or was he weird?”

Paterson portrays the white gang leader in the “Beat It” video. He also helped choreograph and played a zombie in “Thriller” before Jackson put him in charge of his moves in “Smooth Criminal.”

“(Jackson) never said a mean thing to anybody,” said Paterson. “He is very much alive in my mind and always in my heart.”

To Paterson, Jackson was the catalyst of his success, not the Wacko Jacko, off-the-deep-end image concocted by the tabloids. “I lived with Michael through all of those years with the press,” Paterson said. “I would sit in the trailer and he would cry. He would say ‘I don’t understand why they want to tear me apart.’”

The 59-year-old, who lives in California’s Hollywood Hills, occasionally hears Jackson’s soft voice in his head -- a voice he can imitate almost perfectly. “He always told me to let the music talk to you,” Paterson said. “Don’t ever impose your thoughts on the music. The music will tell you what it wants to do.”  

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source: 

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/03/dickinson_college_grad_to_talk.html

Michael Jackson and the Cascio's

After watching the Oprah show featuring the Cascio's, I wanted to learn more of this MJ's 'second family' of whom Michael had known for more than twenty-five years, as I am one of those who had very little knowledge of them, almost nil really, and seeing them and hearing their MJ accounts, what a revelation for me... and so here are some more bits and pieces I found from other sites;

 "To me, Michael was more than a superstar entertainer: he was a brother, a father figure and probably the most loving person I have ever met. With all that has been written and said about Michael, what has been missing are his countless acts of anonymous kindness that I witnessed to those in the most desperate situations. ... Michael, we love you. You are the true Peter Pan."

--- Frank Cascio

source: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/MichaelJackson/story?id=7968002&page=5

"Michael Jackson yearned for normalcy..."

For one of the most famous men in the world, simple housecleaning was an escape from the hectic and isolated life that came with being Michael Jackson.

Longtime Jackson friend Frank Cascio, 28, told "Good Morning America" today that the King of Pop would just show up at his family's New Jersey home in hopes of capturing a sense of normalcy.

"And he would come with no security and nannies," Cascio said. "That's when he was himself."

Cascio said Jackson paid his family such a visit earlier this year and got a lot of joy from the pleasures of a simpler life.

"He would even help my mom vacuum the rug," he said. "He would, like, help clean up the house. And he was just a real human being."

Cascio said the two would even sneak off to hit the local stores or have dinner unnoticed.

"Sometimes we would sneak out ... with no security," he said. "And I would get him all dressed up in disguises."

"You know," Cascio continued, "everyone can walk down the street and go shopping. And, you know, we take that for granted, but he could never do that."

Cascio also praised Jackson as "the perfect father."

"He was the greatest father in the world to those kids," he said.

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source: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/MichaelJackson/story?id=8020392&page=1

'Mr. Dominic Cascio who owns il Michelangelo Restaurant in Boonton Township, NJ told me (Tommy Garrett) exclusively, "We loved Michael. He was a genius and a beautiful person.  I've known Michael for twenty seven years and all I can say is he was not only a friend of ours, but he was part of our family. I don't know anyone as warm and caring as Michael Jackson and he will be missed. Michael was a real genuine person, who cared deeply for others. Our hearts are broken."  Mr. Cascio added, "We pray for Michael's children."'

source: http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/On_the_Industry_1168/This_Week_in_Hollywoodland062809.php

MJ with his 'second family'

ADDENDUM:
And here's something to look forward to;  MJ'S "Secret" Work Tapes with the Cascio's 
"But now sources tell me that there were “work tapes” made during the Cascio sessions. These aren’t outtakes of the songs, but tapes running in the studio while Michael discussed what was going on with Eddie Cascio and other members of the Cascio family. Jackson’s own kids even make cameo appearances on the tapes. At some point, the work tapes will be released, although it’s unclear by whom. The main thing is, there’s plenty of evidence of Michael Jackson working with Eddie Cascio.

Still, it’s nice to know that the tapes prove once and for all what was going on in the Cascios’ home studio in the summer of 2007. It’s truly, without a doubt, Michael Jackson on the recordings."

--- Roger Friedman

source:http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/11/14/michael-jackson-secret-work-tapes-will-prove-its-his-voice-on-tracks

"... if you knew the man you would only have seen a shy, naive and kind soul.", David Nordahl on Michael Jackson

Excerpt from a news article:

An artist has described how he became friends with Michael Jackson after being commissioned to paint the singer in a variety of unusual poses.

David Nordahl created the works in his Santa Fe, New Mexico studio, depicting Jackson with half naked cherubs, reading stories to enthralled children and even as Michelangelo's David.

One oil painting entitled, "Field of Dreams," sees the 1980's mega-star leading a menagerie of children across a yellow brick road scene.

"From 1988 to 2005, I completed thousands of drawings and roughly a dozen epic paintings for Michael," said Mr Nordahl.

"The most expensive commission that Michael offered me for a painting was around £90,000 and despite rumours to the contrary he always paid me on time.

"It is fair to say that over the last twenty years me and Michael became friends and it was a pleasure to portray him in such a manner."

Mr. Nordahl said he first heard from the singer in a midnight phone call 22 years ago.

"The voice who I answered the phone to said 'This is Michael Jackson'," said Mr. Nordahl.

"I thought, yeah, right, pull the other one, but I quickly realised that it was in fact Michael Jackson, the most famous man on Earth."

Jackson told Mr. Nordahl that he had noticed one of his paintings on the wall of director Steven Spielberg's office and wanted him to paint a series for him.

"He wanted firstly to know if I could teach him to draw and paint, but I told him that my schedule was too busy.

"However, his assistant arranged for me to travel to Denver when Michael was on his BAD world tour.

"I couldn't believe the world that Michael introduced me to when I travelled to meet him at the Denver Embassy Hotel.

"He booked me into a full suite for six days and we spent that time taking in the sights of the mountain city.

"We even went to the Tutankhamen exhibition when it was in the town."

Nordahl, who shared the bond of a difficult childhood with the pop-superstar, developed his friendship with Jackson over the next twenty years.

"I helped him with planning his Neverland Ranch and marvelled at his relatively Spartan lifestyle," said David.

"He would always wear cheap clothes that couldn't have come from anywhere but a second hand store.

"His shoes would be torn and frayed and his t-shirts always grubby.

"All he did was work."

Despite the subject matter of Jackson's portraits, Mr. Nordahl feels that the commissions were almost a dig at his critics.

"Look, Michael loved children," said Mr. Nordahl.

"He was innocent of all charges in 2005 and if you knew the man you would only have seen a shy, naive and kind soul.

"He was broken by the accusations and never recovered.

"These paintings are a way of seeing how Michael would like to have seen himself."

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/michael-jackson/6778086/Michael-Jackson.html 

With my heartfelt big THANKS to Michael Craig of San Diego, California  for sharing his beautiful words at his facebook profile :)

 Loved the quote so much that I could not resist but make this posting; 

 hope you too like it...

"Once every several centuries of mankind, God sends somebody special.  A wake-up call.  Somebody to enlighten the people in the way to be.  Somebody to excite the people.  Somebody to bring people together.  And I think Michael was a gift from God that he sent to show people how to be, how to love." 

~ Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett, Michael Jackson's drummer for 30 years  (quote from This Is It "Memories of Michael")

"He was an angel walkin' the planet!"  

~ Kenny Ortega, quote from This Is It "Memories of Michael"