Last month, the passing of Michael Jackson sent people all across the globe into mourning. From his most loyal listeners to even those too young to remember Jackson the musician but instead Jackson the punchline to jokes, the outpouring of respect for one person was unparalleled in this decade. In the following guest post, Charles Ponce de Leon, author of Self Exposure, a book on the creation of American celebrity (available from UNC Press), and Fortunate Son: The Life of Elvis Presley looks at the creation and curse of Jackson's celebrity, as well as the...