What Can You Learn from the Michael Jackson Life Story?

Wikipedia, Michael Jackson Life Story

Someone put a comment on my blog asking if I was going to post about Michael Jackson’s death. I hadn’t planned to, but my husband and I just watched a show about the Michael Jackson life story with an in-depth interview of Michael Jackson.

As I watched Michael Jackson being interviewed about his early life and the Jackson 5, I thought about how so much fame at an early age must have affected his life.  The more I listened to the Michael Jackson life story, the sadder I felt about all the tragedy and difficulties in his life, and his premature death.

Born in 1958, Michael was only 6 or 7 when he started performing with the Jackson Five.  They released their first single, “Big Boy,” in January 1968 when he was only 9. This little-known single was released under the label Steeltown Records before the Jackson 5 signed with Motown.

For those who have not heard it, I found “Big Boy” on YouTube. I have included it here for you to hear — not a big hit, but a good song.

(Sorry, I had a link to “Big Boy” on YouTube but had to remove it since the video was removed from YouTube for incorrect usage.)

Not too long after that came the release of their first number one hit song, “I Want You Back,” in 1969, when Michael was 10. Three more number one hit singles soon followed:   “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There.”

Michael was instantly put into the limelight as the whole world witnessed his amazing talent in singing, dancing, and performing. I know I was in awe as I watched him perform.

Of course, many other hits came after that, including one of my favorites,”Thriller,” with the great music video that I still enjoy watching.

What can you learn from the Michael Jackson life story?

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What Are Your Responsibilities as the Parent of a Child Actor?

Do you really know what your responsibilities as the parent of a child actor are?

Being the parent of a child actor is not an easy job.  It requires a huge amount of effort on the part of the parent or parents.  At times, it can be as time-consuming as a full-time job.

I talked about flexibility in my post Parents, Do You Have the Flexibility Needed for Your Child’s Acting Career? Because of needing flexibility, it is easiest if at least one parent of a young actor or model is either not employed, works from home, or has their own business.

The list of tasks that showbiz parents take on is a long one.  I will be discussing most of these tasks in more detail in other posts. The showbiz parents are responsible for: Read more »

What Makes a Good Stage Parent?

Unfortunately, the name stage parent or stage mom has been given a bad rap. We all picture the crazy mom, forcing a child to do something he or she does not want to do and then yelling at and belittling him or her when the performance is not perfect.

When I use the terms stage parent or stage mom, I don’t mean it in a negative way. A stage parent is simply the parent of a child actor.  I will also call these parents showbiz parents, show business parents, or just the parents of a child actor or model.

The fact is, there are good stage parents and there are bad stage parents. I believe there are more good ones than bad ones.  Just as no parent is perfect, no stage parent is perfect either. We all make mistakes, but it is my belief that most parents in the industry try to do their best.

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Parents, Do You Have the Flexibility Needed for Your Child’s Acting Career?

Do you have a flexible schedule to accommodate the demands of your child’s acting career?

Once when my daughter got a last-minute audition, I was in the laundry room in our apartment complex moving half-washed clothes from a broken washer to a working one. I’d forgotten my cell phone, so I missed several calls from my daughter’s manager.

I grabbed the ringing phone as I walked in the door to our apartment. The manager had been calling for 30 minutes and was frantic.

Fortunately, I was able to find appropriate clothing, retrieve our wet clothes from the laundry, grab necessary items, and pick my daughter up from school early so we could be at the audition on time.

That 30-minute delay almost made us miss the audition, and it resulted in an annoyed manager. But because I had the flexibility to drop everything and go, we were still able to get to the audition.

Parents, do you have the flexibility needed for your child’s acting or modeling career?

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Parents, Do You Really Want to Do This?

Parents, do you really want to help your child pursue a career in acting or modeling?

A big factor in deciding on an acting or modeling career for your child is how you, the parents, feel about the role you play in this great adventure. It entails a huge amount of work for you.

I had no idea what was involved when we first started down this path. No one sat down with me and told me about all the things I’d have to do if we decided to try to help my daughter become an actor.

There were, and still are, times when I would prefer to live a normal life again, without worrying about headshots, resumes, acting classes, coaching, jobs, work permits, SAG dues, and so forth.

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