10 Interesting MJ Statues You Won’t Believe

By What Culture / MJWN:

The King of Pop was born in Gary, Indiana and grew up alongside his nine siblings. Under the tutelage and hard guidance of his father, he would become an international sensation forging a 45-year career. His 1982 album ‘Thriller’ is the best-selling album of all time, and the video featuring Michael as a hip-shaking zombie and fluffy werewolf revolutionized music videos.

Michael’s behaviours, song lyrics and his ever-changing appearance were the cause of many controversies throughout his life. Beginning in the mid-1990s, his life would be overshadowed by allegations of child molestation. He settled out of court on one accusation and was brought up on separate charges in 2005. He was acquitted in all cases.

No matter what one believes about Michael’s personal life, the sheer fact remains that he was one of the most popular performers the world has ever seen. A consummate showman, he is adored worldwide and has been the inspiration for many statues across the globe. These ten are the most interesting, strange and funny. Rock on Michael!

10. BRAZILIAN FAVELA

Michael filmed his first ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ video in the Santa Marta favela of Rio de Janeiro and in the city of Salvador. A protest song, it drew the attention of Spike Lee, who ultimately directed two videos for the song. Brazilians officials were concerned about the pop star filming in a favela, because they believed it would portray a bad image in the media, but ultimately the King of Pop won and the video was a success.

The video featured local musicians and residents, and brought to light the issues that exist in favelas. The event was memorialized in a bronze statue of the singer that rises high over the shantytown, alongside a rainbow coloured mosaic of Michael’s face on what appears to be a postage stamp. Arms outstretched, the statue may not resemble Michael, but it keeps the visitors coming.

9. FOOTBALL MUSEUM

This waxy looking statue of MJ was commissioned by business magnate Mohamed Al-Fayed and unveiled outside of Craven Cottage on the grounds of Fulham Football Club, where Al-Fayed was chairman in 2011. Apparently a huge fan and friend of Michael, Al-Fayed was the brunt of criticism when the statue was placed on display, mainly because it looked stiff and constipated.

Art critics called it ugly kitsch, but Al-Fayed retaliated by saying “If some stupid fans don’t understand and appreciate such a gift, they can go to hell.” Fulham’s record improved, however, after placement of the statue. When new Fulham chairman Sahid Khan took office, he had the statue removed. It was placed at the National Football Museum in Manchester in May 2014 and Fulham’s record took a plunge. Maybe Al-Fayed was onto something!

8. JACKSON AS ABE LINCOLN

There are Hard Rock Hotels everywhere and yes, they’ve been more successful than Planet Hollywood. I bet that takes you back. Still, no Hard Rock Hotel is as awesome as the one in Penang, Malaysia that features a white-washed Michael Jackson-cum-Abraham Lincoln welcoming all visitors. Its similarity to the Lincoln Monument aside, the sculpture is actually decent. It captured his facial features pretty well.

It was created by SCULPTUREATWORK in Kuala Lumpur and guests just love it. Though the café at the hotel is primarily themed around The Beatles, it does feature some other artists’ memorabilia.

See & Read More: http://www.mjworld.net/news/2015/01/14/10-interesting-mj-statues-you-wont-believe/

Source: What Culture / MJWN

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