Born August 29, 1958, Michael Jackson only lived to age 50, but he created an indelible mark upon civilization as one of the most well-known entertainers in modern history. He began his rise to the top at the tender age of five when he performed the song, "Climb Every Mountain" with his brothers as part of the iconic "Jackson Five." He'd go on to become one of the best-selling artists of all time with a mountain of awards and accolades.Flamboyant clothing and a tendency to wear a face mask in public turned him into a strange eccentric by the 1990s. Eventually, his star was tarnished by repeated accusations of child molestation and the devastating court trials that followed. He would spend years trying to rebuild his name and reputation as the greatest entertainer on the planet, but he would die from a drug overdose on June 25, 2009, just a few months before his 51st birthday.Here are some facts you might not know about the King of Pop.
迈克尔·约瑟夫·杰克逊生于1958年8月29日，年仅50便与世长辞。但他在人类文明当中创下的傲人佳绩让他当之无愧成为当今历史上最知名的艺人之一。年仅五岁时，他便已然开始踏上通往巅峰的道路。因为一曲同兄弟们一起创作的《Climb Every Mountain》,他被大众戏谑地称为"Jackson Five"。随后，他摇身一变,成为历史上最畅销的艺术家，赢得赞誉奖项无数。他喜欢穿夸张的服饰，习惯在公共场合带着口罩，因此，在20世纪90年代，他曾被人们当做怪胎。最终，他因多次被控侵扰儿童以及随后一次次毁灭性的庭审而名誉严重受损。他花费多年以求重建自己那"地球上最伟大艺人"的声望，可惜的是，他因用药过量而逝世于2009年6月25日——再过几个月便是他51岁的生日。本文将提供一些你可能有所不知的，关于一代"流行音乐之王"的事情。
10.Michael Jackson had a Patent for Special Shoes
10.迈克尔·杰克逊的"专利鞋"
Like his famous "Moonwalk," another one of Michael's famous on-stage moves was a seemingly gravity-defying lean forward where his feet remained planted flat on the ground. Normal people would fall over, but not Michael Jackson. On tour, he achieved this move with a pair of specially designed shoes that sported a cleft in the heel. On stage, Michael and his backup dancers could slide their shoes onto small pegs rising from the surface of the stage. With their shoes secured to the stage, The performers could lean forward without tipping over, thereby creating the illusion the rules of gravity just didn't apply on Michael's stage.
正如他那知名的"太空步"一样，迈克尔·杰克逊在舞台上还有另一个为人所熟知的动作——好像抗拒地心引力一样，身体前倾的同时保持脚面完全着地。这个动作，除了迈克尔·杰克逊可以做之外，普通人要做都会摔倒。在巡回演出中，他会穿上一双特别设计的，故意凸显脚后跟部裂缝的鞋子来完成这个动作。在舞台上，迈克尔和他的后补舞者可以通过在小短桩上滑动鞋子，来完成悬空于台面的动作。有了这样的设计，表演者就可以身体前倾而不至于摔倒，因此给观众创造出了迈克尔"突破地心引力"的错觉。
According to an abstract from the United States Patent Office, the shoes were a "system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean forwardly beyond his center of gravity," and the inventors listed included Michael, as well as two residents of Hollywood, California named Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins. Before the invention of the shoe, Michael used wires in his "Smooth Criminal" video to achieve the gravity-defying dance moves. He felt that he needed something more reliable that he could use frequently while on tour. With his co-inventors, Michael would develop the shoe and file a patent in 1992. However, the inventors realized the shoe could benefit from some tweaking when Michael was nearly injured after his shoe malfunctioned during a show in Russia. They reworked the shoe over the years, but the patent expired in 2005. A few years later, the original, one-of-a-kind shoes Michael used on stage were auctioned off for $600,000. Michael isn't the only performer to submit ideas to the patent office. Other famous performers with patents include Eddie Van Halen, Prince, Paula Abdul, and Neil Young.
根据美国专利局的一份摘要显示，这种鞋子的名称为"反地心引力错觉的方法与器具"，其发明人包括迈克尔，以及他的两个来自加州好莱坞的服装设计师，名叫迈克尔·布什和丹尼斯·汤普金斯。在此之前，迈克尔在《Smooth Criminal》MV中使用了金属线，以此实现表演出"抗拒地心引力"的动作。他觉得他需要一种更为可靠的鞋子，并能方便他在巡演中频繁使用。于是，于其他二人一道，迈克尔在1992年发明并登记了这一专利。然而，迈克尔在俄罗斯表演时险些因为鞋子故障在表演中受伤，随后，其他两个发明人意识到他们有必要微调鞋子的设计。他们花了几年时间重新设计鞋子。不幸的是，该项专利于2005年失效了。几年后，鞋子的原版，也就是迈克尔在舞台上使用的那双鞋子，以600,000美元被拍卖了。迈克尔并非是唯一一个想用专利将自己的发明保护起来的人。其他很多知名表演家也有这样的想法，包括埃迪·范·海伦,普林斯,宝拉·阿巴杜和尼尔·杨.
9.Michael Jackson Owned Many Famous Songs by the Beatles
9.迈克尔·杰克逊拥有很多披头士著名歌曲的版权
Michael Jackson's popularity ebbed and flowed over the decades, but one of the reasons he had so much money was his ownership of the copyrights to several Beatles songs like "Come Together" and "Hey Jude." In the mid-1980s, Jackson was part of a famous investment group that included participants like entertainment mogul David Geffen. When the songs came up for sale, Michael was desperate to secure the rights to the catalogue and eventually paid an astonishing $47.5 million for the rights to many of the Beatles' most famous hits.
几十年来，迈克尔的人气起起伏伏，但他之所以有这么多钱的一个原因在于，他拥有很多披头士歌曲的版权。比如《Come Together》,《Hey Jude》。在20世纪80年代中期，迈克尔像娱乐大亨大卫·葛芬一样，也是著名的投资团体的一员。当歌曲发售时，迈克尔不顾一切确保自己拥有它们的版权，并最终从披头士风靡一时的很多音乐歌曲当中获利高达四千七百万美元。
Unfortunately, the sale soured the friendship between rocker Sir Paul McCartney and Michael. The two recorded songs together in the 1980s and were frequently photographed together. Sir Paul was furious that Jackson outbid him on the catalogue of songs, and estimates pegged the number of Beatles copyrights bought by Michael at somewhere between 160 and 260. In 2005, Michael sold half of the rights to the songs to Sony for $95 million. Despite Michael's flamboyant personality on stage, he was an astute businessman, and his heirs have benefited from his investment. Some rumors suggested McCartney was disappointed that Michael didn't leave him the songs in his will, but McCartney put that rumor to rest pretty quickly. Sir Paul revealed that his animosity toward Michael had softened over the years. Interestingly, the 1976 US Copyright Act does mean that McCartney will eventually have the rights to the songs returned to his control, however. The law says that the rights to any song written before 1978 revert to the songwriter's control after 56 years. The Beatles were famous for writing their own songs, so Sir Paul will soon get the rights to his songs back.
不幸的是，这一行为恶化了他与摇滚音乐人、披头士乐队成员保罗·麦卡特尼先生之间的友谊。他们二人曾于20世纪80年代一同录制歌曲。两人在一起的照片经常被拍到。保罗先生大怒，因为杰克逊以高于他的价格买下了披头士歌曲的版权，约160——260首披头士的歌曲及歌词的版权被迈克尔收入囊中。2005年，迈克尔将其中一半的版权以九千五百万美元卖给了索尼。尽管迈克尔在舞台上个性张扬不羁，但他也是一个精明的商人，他的继承人们都能从他的投资中获益。曾有一些流言蜚语流传出来，说保罗先生对迈克尔没有按照他的意愿将一部分歌曲版权归还给他的行为非常失望，但是保罗很快终止了这个谣言。他表示他已不再像多年前那样记恨迈克尔了。然而有趣的是，1976年的美国版权法案意味着保罗·麦卡特尼最终将重获这些歌曲的权利。这项法律指出，1978年前披头士所创作歌曲的版权将会在56年后回归歌词作者手里。披头士因他们写的歌而出名，所以保罗·麦卡特尼将很快获得他的歌曲的所有权利。
8.Michael Jackson Received Two Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
8.迈克尔·杰克逊在好莱坞星光大道上有两颗属于自己的"星星"
Just about every month a new entertainer has his or her name enshrined on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, but Michael actually has two stars, which puts him in league with just a handful of other performers. Over the years, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has created five categories including movies, television, music, radio, and theater. So far, classic star Gene Autry is the only performer with a star in every category, and stars like Tony Martin, Roy Rogers, and Bob Hope each garnered four stars each.
几乎每个月都会有新艺人的名字出现在著名的好莱坞星光大道上，但实际上，迈克尔拥有两颗属于自己的星星。只有少数艺人能有此殊荣。多年以来，好莱坞商会划定了电影、电视、音乐、广播和戏剧5个范畴来表彰演艺者们。至今为止，只有一位艺人成为了一代经典，即明星吉恩·奥特里。他是唯一一个得到了全部5种星星表彰的人。还有其他一些艺人，比如托尼·马丁、罗伊·罗杰斯、鲍勃·霍普各曾获得4颗星星。
With a star for his participation with the Jackson Five and his solo career, Michael Jackson became one of only seven other singers with multiple stars in the same category. The star for the Jackson Five is labeled as "The Jacksons" on the east side of the 1500 block of Vine Street. The star for Jackson's solo career is located at 6927 Hollywood Boulevard right between the stars for actress Hilary Swank and comedian Bill Cosby. The ceremony for Jackson's solo star took place at what could be considered the height of Jackson's fame on November 20, 1984. Interestingly, there is another star for a performer named Michael Jackson, but it's a completely different Michael Jackson who worked for years as a radio personality. In a strange turn of events, devastated fans who wanted to honor Michael Jackson after his death mistakenly created an impromptu memorial of flowers on the wrong star. The other Michael Jackson even responded on his blog that he'd be willing to give up his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame if it would bring the pop star back to life.
作为杰克逊五人组成员之一，迈克尔·杰克逊因其出色的独唱，与同一领域另7位歌手一同获得了数个星星。杰克逊五人组的专属星星位于藤街东部1500区，写着"杰克逊"的字样。而杰克逊独唱的专属星星则坐落于好莱坞大道6927号，恰好位于女演员希拉里·斯万克和喜剧演员比尔·科斯比的星星中间。1984年11月20日那个为庆祝杰克逊独唱获得星星的盛典时刻被认为是杰克逊五人组名声最响亮的时刻。有趣的是，还有另外一位名为迈克尔·杰克逊的艺人也获得了一颗星星，但此迈克尔非彼迈克尔，这个多年来都是从业于广播行业的。由于这一离奇的巧合，那些原本要纪念迈克尔·杰克逊逝世的粉丝们手捧鲜花，错站在另一位迈克尔的星星处举行纪念仪式。这位迈克尔杰克逊甚至在他的博客上回应到：若能换来流行天王巨星迈克尔杰克逊复生，他宁愿放弃掉自己在好莱坞大道上的那颗星星。
7.Michael Jackson Owned Enough Animals for a Zoo
7.迈克尔·杰克逊所养的动物都抵得上一个动物园了
For many years, Michael Jackson lived on an expansive property known as Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County. He named the property after the famous story of Peter Pan, which is how many people saw the entertainer. He was a kid at heart who never really grew up. One of the most amazing features of the ranch was the veritable zoo of exotic animals including a boa constrictor named Muscles and famous chimpanzee named Bubbles. The animals Michael housed on his property ranged from zebras to big cats to alligators.
多年来，迈克尔·杰克逊都住在位于美国加州圣巴巴拉县一所斥巨资打造的梦幻庄园里，他根据《小飞侠彼得潘》中令人向往的小岛"梦幻岛"来命名这个庄园，这里也是人们得以亲近他的所在之地。迈克尔的内心深处住着一个永远也长不大的小男孩。梦幻庄园最大特色之一就是，里面一座名副其实的动物园，有着来自世界各地的动物，包括一条名为Muscles的巨蟒和一只叫泡泡的黑猩猩。这些养在梦幻庄园里的动物们还有斑马、大型猫科动物、短吻鳄等等。
Unfortunately, after Michael was accused of child molestation and the authorities performed a search of the property for evidence, Michael said he'd never return to the property because of the tainted association it held. That meant many exotic beasts had to find new homes, and the years since Jackson's death haven't been kind to those animals. A recent report revealed Michael's pet crocodiles and alligators died after a suspected arson attack at the zoo where the animals were housed. The founder of the animal park blamed activists for the fire, and local law enforcement suggested there was evidence of a criminal act at the scene. The other amazing animals at the ranch were also sent around to different sanctuaries around the country including a flock of flamingos that were sent to a New Jersey zoo and a pair of orangutans who were sent to Connecticut. Michael's will directed that the animals living at the ranch be sent to the best homes possible, but many of the animals ended up at sanctuaries without the same money and resources that Michael had to devote to animal care.
不幸的是，在迈克尔被指控性骚扰儿童，当政府部门来到梦幻庄园取证调查后，迈克认为这里已经被污染了，于是再也不愿意住回来。这样一来，那些外来的动物就得另寻新家了。自杰克逊逝世后，这些动物再没能受到善待。近期，一篇报道称一场疑点重重的大火烧到了住满了动物的动物园中，导致迈克尔的宠物鳄鱼和短吻鳄不幸死亡。动物园的创始人被认为是纵火犯，但当地执法要求须有现场犯罪行为的证据。梦幻庄园里的其他动物被送往全国各地的避难所去了。例如，一群火焰鸟被送往新泽西州的一个动物园，一对猩猩则被送往康乃迪克州。迈克尔的愿望就是希望这些曾住在梦幻庄园里的动物可以住到最妥善的地方，但很多动物最后都只能住在简陋的避难所里，那里所投入的财资和物资完全不及迈克尔曾投入的，动物们都得不到好的照顾。
6.Michael Jackson Slept in an Oxygen Tank
6.迈克尔·杰克逊的氧气舱
One of the activities that got Michael the nickname of "Whacko Jacko" was his purchase of an oxygen chamber. He once claimed that sleeping in the chamber could help him live to 150 years old, which is only a century short of the pop icon's death at age 50. While filming an advertisement for Pepsi, Michael was burned and used a chamber to recover from the accident. An oxygen chamber is designed to allow someone to breathe in 100% oxygen instead of the low concentration humans breathe in regular atmospheric conditions.
让迈克尔得到"疯狂的迈克"这个绰号的行为之一，是他购买了一个氧气舱。他曾经声称，睡在这个舱里可以活到150岁，而这个大众偶像却只活到50岁，足足比他预计的寿命少了一个世纪。在迈克尔为百事可乐拍摄广告时，他被严重烧伤，这个氧气舱实则是为烧伤患者治疗所用的设备。氧气舱的设计意图，是为了人能够在百分之百是氧气的环境中呼吸，而非在常规大气条件下呼吸。
It's possible that Michael's interesting sleeping accommodations wouldn't have raised eyebrows today since the idea of sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber has gained acceptance among athletes like Tim Tebow, who apparently travels with an oxygen chamber while traveling for football games. Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong was once known to sleep in an oxygen tent; however, some suspect his use of the oxygen tent was to hide his doping activities. Although oxygen chambers have been used to combat conditions like carbon monoxide poisoning and anemia, their usefulness for athletes has not yet been proven. In the 1980s, Michael made a hefty donation to a local hospital in Los Angeles, which allowed the medical facility to buy an oxygen chamber that he could use for his recovery. He later said he planned to buy one of his own and eventually bought the machine from the hospital. According to recent reports, the oxygen chamber was acquired by a company named OxyHeal. Proponents of oxygen chambers say that spending time in one can slow the aging process by promoting growth of aging cells.
自"睡在高压氧气舱"的创意被一些运动员们接受时起，比如蒂姆·蒂博在进行他的巡回足球比赛时会随行常备氧气舱，迈克尔的这个有趣的"睡眠场所"渐渐开始引起人们的注意。丑闻缠身的自行车运动员兰斯·阿姆斯特朗被报道曾睡在一个氧气帐蓬中，然而，一些人怀疑他使用这个氧气帐蓬是为了掩饰他服用兴奋剂的行为。尽管氧气舱已经被用于治疗一氧化碳中毒和贫血，但是目前尚未有证据证实它们对于运动员来说到底有什么益处。二十世纪八十年代，迈克尔向洛杉矶当地的一家医院捐了一笔巨款，让医疗团队去购买氧气舱供他治疗烧伤，后来他打算自己买一个，并最终向医院购买了这台设备。据最近的报道，这个氧气舱已被一个名叫欧克西希尔的公司收购。氧气舱的拥护者认为，呆在舱里可以通过促进老化细胞的生长来减缓老化进程。
评论
打印
