Friday, June 26, 2009

Wow...they say things come in threes, but this has been a sad week for many 1970s fans.

First, Johnny Carson's sidekick and Publisher's Clearing House pitchman Ed McMahon is summoned to once again sit alongside Carson in the Great TV Studio in the Sky.

Then, Farrah Fawcett -- Jill Monroe -- idol of millions of red-blooded American teenaged boys and the girl in the red bikini (seen in Tony Manero's bedroom in Saturday Night Fever in addition to millions of other rooms at the time) passed away from cancer. Back in '77, 62 may have seemed old; today, it seems Farrah left way too young.

Then, Michael Jackson. The little boy with the big voice who came seemingly from out of nowhere with his brothers just as the 1970s dawned and had 4 huge #1 hits in just over a year. The young adult who ended the decade with a tremendous LP called Off The Wall, then went on to make a followup that became the greatest selling LP of all time.

One of the best things about our culture is how so many things are available to us, like music and video. Clips of "The Tonight Show" will still show Ed laughing out loud, reruns of "Charlie's Angels" will still show Farrah as most remember her, and the opening notes of "I Want You Back" will always introduce the world to the big voice inside of an 11-year old Michael.

RIP.