The Colby Echo

Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Opinions

I am 20 years old. A lot of things have changed in the last 20 years. I've gotten older, taller, and much wiser. However, the world around me has seen a lot of change, too-namely, the demise of the careers of Tom Cruise and Michael Jackson.

Picture the world in 1986. Top Gun (arguably the greatest movie of all-time) is soaring at the box office. Cruise's portrayal of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell captivates audiences worldwide, making a total of $350 million in theaters, and breaking home video sales records. Young naval officers everywhere begin singing karaoke, serenading bar-goers to the tune of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" by the Righteous Brothers. Tom Cruise was cool.

Michael Jackson had just won the Grammy in 1985 for Song of the Year, helping Lionel Ritchie to co-write "We Are the World." In the previous year, he had set the all-time Grammy record for most awards won, winning eight, seven for Thriller, and one for E.T. - The Extraterrestrial Storybook. In 1983, he invented the moonwalk. The only person cooler than Tom Cruise was Michael Jackson.

Now, let's flash forward to the present. Michael Jackson's personal life has become increasingly more and more bizarre. There's speculation he has had dozens of plastic surgeries, altering his appearance in unusual ways, and to the point of endangering his health. He has had several accusations lobbied against him of molestation and harassment. He caused an uproar a few years ago when he hung his baby over a balcony railing in a hotel in Germany. But what really bothers me is the question I ask of you-when was the last time you saw him do the moonwalk? Think of how cool Michael Jackson was in the music video for Thriller. Now think of what he's like now. It's just not the same.

And how about Tom Cruise. He has recently been named the "Jesus Christ of Scientology." He is the poster-boy for a religion that was made up by a sci-fi novelist. He jumped up on a couch on Oprah and proclaimed his love for Katie Holmes. He then argued with Matt Lauer on the Today Show. He's nuts. The only person crazier than Michael Jackson now is Tom Cruise.

So I say, let's look back to the good old days. I may not have been able to do long division, but I was able to appreciate Top Gun, taped from HBO by my parents. I wasn't able to reach the tops of the counters in my kitchen, but I could watch the unbelievable dance scene in the middle of Thriller. They say time changes everything, but I have to believe that some things are better off staying the way they are (or were).

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