e Guinness Book of World Records in London. The album Thriller is the most successful album to date and has sold over forty-two million copies worldwide. The album has earned one hundred forty gold and platinum records. In 1984, Jackson won a record eight Grammy Awards in ten categories. These are just a few of his musical accomplishments that accompanied his success. Due to this, Jackson has set large product endorsement contracts. In this field, he holds his second Guinness World Record as the person with the highest paying contract to date. Forbes magazine noted Michael Jackson as one of the richest men in the world and as one whose income is purely generated by his own talents (Brown 1996, V). His single, We are the World performed together with various artists, was the highest grossing single of the year. We are the World was part of a project called USA for Africa, and all proceeds of the single were used to help starving Africans. As a result of his philantropic efforts, Jackson has generated various humanitarian awards from UNICEF, WHO, The Boy Scouts of America, The Make-a-Wish Foundation, The National Aids Fund, former US Presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan. Jackson has also founded the Heal the World Foundation to assist the poor around the world.Michael Jackson is not the only person responsible for making him what he is. The media plays a vital role in building Jacksons image and increasing his popularity. In almost everything Jackson does, the press is present: performances, charity work, medical check-ups and even trips to the bookstore. Various rumors, ambiguous facts and sensationalized stories are fed to the public. No matter how true or false the stories reported by the media are, people keep on eating what is being fed to them. The press is always on Jacksons side in good times and bad. On the other hand, Jackson, who grew up surrounded by the press, does not react to these in a violent manner. In fact, he uses ...
