People

MICHAEL JACKSON GETTING STAGE FRIGHT?

Since the very costly, very publicized return of the King of Pop did not spark Michael Jackson's hoped new revolution in music, Jackson has become an on-again, off-again participant in the music scene. Last week his publicist noted that his client had decided not to appear on the Grammys. The announcement seemed ludicrous in the wake of the flap over whether he would appear on the Grammys and not the American Music Awards, or vice-versa. Now comes word from MSNBC that he has opted out of this week's World Music Awards in Monaco. Jackson is up for top honors in the category World's Best-Selling Male Artist. The opposition is Robbie Williams, Enrique Iglesias and Shaggy. Many, according to the news provider, think that Jackson is a sure bet to win. Meanwhile, Jackson's people continue to ignore calls from the media for clarifications on various issues, including Jackson's new "low profile" status and reports that he wants to change his emphasis from music making to movie making.

JUST HOW YOUNG ARE THOSE YOUNG STARS?

As the generation gap between today's rising young stars and the industry's older ones widens, it's more and more difficult to make allusions to the past -- as points of comparison. The younger ones often don't know what you're talking about. Witness a recent encounter between Roger Freidman, a reporter for Fox News, and cutesy couple Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. Freidman is reported as asking Timberlake, one of the more popular members of 'N SYNC, whether he identifies the goals of the band as being more aligned with the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. Timberlake emphatically told the reporter: "Beatles! Beatles! Beatles!" Then, prompted by the singer's answer, he asked a follow-up question. "Is Britney your Yoko Ono?" Spears reportedly responded: "Who?" After an additional reference to Linda McCartney also went over the heads of the young duo, Spears noted: "I'm very young."

MAJOR LISZT CYCLE COMPLETED

Popular pianist Louis Lortie has released a set of important works by Franz Liszt on the Chandos label. On the CD are four of the composer's most famous piano concertos: No. 1 in E-flat major; No. 3 in E-flat major; No. 2 in A major and the Liszt Concerto "Pathetique" in E-minor. The recordings were done with members of the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague under the direction of American conductor George Pehlivanian. The most important aspect of the this latest release by the Canadian-born Lortie is that the CD completes a three-volume undertaking in which the pianist recorded the full cycle of the composer's major works for the instrument. By the way, Liszt was infamous for changing and revising his works. Because of this, alternate versions exist for many of them. For several of the Lortie recordings, he has used early or original transcriptions of the works, before Liszt's continual tweakings began.

DELTA MUSEUM WELL DEDICATED

After months of anticipation and no small amount of media hype, the new Delta Music Museum has been dedicated in the sleepy Mississippi River town of Ferriday, La., with a slew of country and "Southern" stars and celebrities on hand. The museum was constructed inside the old, sturdy Ferriday post office. Among the first things seen by visitors is a huge blow-up of a classic photograph of what record producer Sam Phillips called his "Million Dollar Quartet." Gathered around a piano are Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. Part of the facility is a "near shrine" to a trio of hometown cousins who went on to international fame and fortune ... Mickey Gilley, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart. By the way, Ferriday was recently in the news when the death of TV news pioneer Howard K. Smith was announced. He was also from the city and retained his lush Southern accent thoroughout his career.

JULIA CHILD BRIEFLY HOSPITALIZED

Officials in San Francisco confirm that 89-year-old kitchen maven Julia Child was hospitalized briefly for treatment of bronchitis and difficulty in breathing. Published reports indicate that Child, who now lives in southern California, checked into a facility and was kept overnight for observation. She had been on a visit to the San Francisco Bay area. Her condition forced her to be a no-show at a wine tasting event. She was, though, able to talk to the crowd via telephone. Child began her career on Boston TV after returning from Europe, where she learned about fine cooking while accompanying her husband on his travels for the U.S. government. She once told United Press International that she wasn't a "chef," just someone who loved to cook and who gathered chefs around her to help.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, RON AND NANCY

There have been a lot of reports this week on the 50th wedding anniversary of former Pres. Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy. And I didn't want the event to pass without a mention here. The celebration, certainly low-key, private and bittersweet, has renewed attention to the plight of families with Alzheimer's disease. Among the most disturbing aspects of the media coverage has certainly been the many photos of Mr. Reagan over the years, with and without his wife. Suave, handsome, rugged, forceful, even into his later years ... and now ... in a fog. Again the focus has been on the caregiver, in this case Nancy Reagan. It is those who see their loved ones slowly leave them, entering a strange half-life, often fit and well of body, but missing of mind. Reagan is now 91. Nancy turns 81 in a few months. His last public appearance was in 1994. Meanwhile, if Reagan is progressing as most Alzheimer's patients do, the communication continues to fade. The links with the present dim. The eyes stare strangely, as if looking through a fog for the sight of a familiar face. In the case of Mr. Reagan we are not privy to how thick that fog has become. But, for his family -- and his extended family around the world -- the anniversary reminds us of a giant of his time, now frail and fragile, but not forgotten.

UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 282

Here's today's question: "Have you ever taken part in a seminar or other non-religious motivational training course that actually improved your life in some way?" Put MOTIVATION in the subject line and send to [email protected] via the Internet.

SPECIAL NOTE: Due to a reprogramming of computers, the RESULTS of previous surveys will not be available for a short time. When I can access them again, I promise to catch up. Meanwhile, keep the cards and letters coming. GBA.