Michael Jackson Turns 50: Feels Young, Watches Cartoons

NEW YORK — Michael Jackson marked a personal milestone Friday: his 50th birthday.

The 13-time Grammy winner, who has sold more than 750 million albums, told ABC News' "Good Morning America" that he's "looking forward to doing a lot of great things. ... I think the best is yet to come in my true humble opinion."

Jackson talked to ABC by phone Thursday.

"People see some of the things I do and they say, `Why don't you show this to the world? People don't know you do these things.' And maybe I will," he said.

Jackson said recording the blockbuster albums "Thriller" and "Off the Wall" were the happiest times of his life.

"That meant very much to me and seemed to be received so beautifully by the public and the world. You know, I enjoyed it very much," he said.

As for his birthday plans, "I'll just have a little cake with my children and we'll probably watch some cartoons," he said.

Jackson, a twice-divorced father of three, said he aims to provide a normal life for his children.

"I am letting them enjoy their childhood as much as possible. ... I let them go to the arcade and go to the movies and do things. I think that comes naturally. I want them to get to do things I didn't get to do," he said.

"I get pretty emotional when I see them having a wonderful time," he said.

Jackson was asked if he had received a membership card from AARP, which focuses on the needs and concerns of those 50 and older.

"Not that I know of!" he said, laughing.

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ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.

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On the Net:

http://abcnews.go.com/

Comments

[Horus]

11:02 AM on 09/02/2008

The stuff he says always sounds a little creepy to me now. Especially when he starts in about cake and cartoons and slides and ponies and carousels.­..its like for crying out loud can you just talk about something adult-like for a second and make us all feel a little better??

[NoSillyName]

08:18 PM on 09/01/2008

Poor Michael. I feel sorry for him. His father really f*cked him up big time. Once he'd been an abuse victim (verbal, physical), he was ripe for any other kinds of abuse. Who knows what might have happened to that cute, little kid who was almost constantly having to travel, perform, record, etc.

At the very least, he certainly did not have a happy childhood. "His" kids will be totally overindulg­ed. It'll be interestin­g to see how they turn out.

[rockyersocksoff]

05:23 PM on 09/01/2008

750 million albums?

Someone needs to check their figures. Perhaps remove that zero?

[MARTYB]

03:23 AM on 08/30/2008

I am 53, love cartoons.

[LynndaMaree]

02:02 PM on 08/30/2008

What in the world is wrong with his face, he could be used to make Halloween masks. Just hold him by his head and dunk him in the solution and wala let it dry and Jackson masks.

[duckcrackers]

12:31 AM on 08/30/2008

Cut the guy a break- So he enjoys banging little dudes. None of us is perfect.

[ebethgay]

12:08 AM on 08/30/2008

Yuck.

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

11:10 PM on 08/29/2008

I think they left a word off of the title. It should say "He feels young boys" not "He feels young"

[lindamiller49]

10:49 PM on 08/29/2008

What in the h*ll is wrong with his face? Could all of that be caused by plastic surgery? holy crap

[duckcrackers]

10:24 PM on 08/29/2008

Dude's a romantic at heart. He enjoys cartoons, long walks on the beach, and teabagging young boys.

[duckcrackers]

10:23 PM on 08/29/2008

Why is there a picture of Joan Jett on the front of this article?

[BardEric]

03:48 PM on 08/30/2008

ROTFL-EXCE­LLENT!

[gahoggafugga]

08:16 PM on 08/29/2008

to be honest i never really liked him as a musician to begin with.

. . .but it was funny when he got buerned up in the pepsi ad all those years ago . . lol.

and before some of you call me a heartless bastard, i do know what it's like to be burned up. i fell into a bon-fire when i was 5 and my left hand looks like freddy krueger.

[JimR]

08:12 PM on 08/30/2008

Yeah, that's a real hoot.

[erichitchmo]

07:51 PM on 08/29/2008

Happy birthday, Mike. One of the biggest tragedies of the music industry. This is one of the most talented people to walk the Earth, and then megalomani­a drove him insane. I honestly hope that his children are having a healthy upbringing but man, that's just hard to believe.

[BardEric]

09:52 PM on 08/29/2008

Isn't it?

[LiberalBuzz]

07:27 PM on 08/29/2008

The shame of all of this is that he really was one of the most talented performers of his time. I saw two shows and they were unbelievab­ly good. When you walked out later you had gotten more than your money's worth.

He influenced a lot of people in a good way.

Then the whole sex thing started.

Such a shame to see him turn out like that. Some of it might be attributed to his father, but he is who is he.

He's harmless now, but boy what a past.

[auntbaby]

07:18 PM on 08/29/2008

per chris crocker..l­eave michael alone!!

[auntbaby]

07:17 PM on 08/29/2008

how many criminal trials does one have to go thru and be aquitted to not be called names? he has been through enough. plastering that sad mug shot and i just feel bad for him. i am one of those fans from when he was a kid and will wish him well. if he had been found guilty in the trial with all the evidence presented, then he would be dead to me. messing with kids is inexcusabl­e. now i just hope he can live his life peacefully­. even if he never plays another note for the public. and yes i rememer oj simpson's trial.

[BardEric]

03:57 PM on 08/30/2008

okay, you need to ask yourself if a regular guy likeJoe Shmo, on mainstreet­, small town usa; would have been aquitted TWICE on to seperate molestatio­n cases, several years apart. The answer of course is "no". Mike bought off the parents of the first victims, in an "undisclos­ed" settlement­, remember? And then his lawyers, (the best that his money could buy) got him off the 2nd time, ala' OJ Simpson. Anyone else without Mike's celebrity would have been cuffed, stuffed, and locked in a cell so fast their heads would have swum, and rightly so..As you may or may not know, where there is that much smoke, there has to be a fire

[JeanPaulSatire]

11:54 AM on 08/31/2008

Taking a cue from OJ, Michael is pursuing the REAL molester(s­).

As he's looking everywhere but where he lives, the search has yet to yield results.