http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/available-for-assignment-neverland-ranch-friday An entire Lightstalkers thread via RSS/XML. en-us ...I know, I know this is a very un-LS type story.. For any editors, I've been covering the MJ story here in LA since last Thursday (ie have lots of images). I will be shooting at Michael Jackson's estate in Santa Barbara County Friday morning and transmitting ASAP from the area and I'm available for assignment. Contact me at either 310-735-3562 or derekhenryflood@gmail.com Cheers, Derek Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:02:56 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/available-for-assignment-neverland-ranch-friday Derek, Yes, its not as shiny as an assignment that is usaully mentioned on LS, especilly when we are all dreaming of something we can sink our teeth into that is 10,000 km away from where ever we find ourselves to be ...but then, a lot can be said for hustle and the courage to face another kind of bullet, so go for it and I hope you make some coin. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:48:01 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/available-for-assignment-neverland-ranch-friday#150595 one might say, that at this particular moment, Neverland is the front line of where the American dream and the American nightmare intersected. So it is a very LS-type story. The body armor required there is that of the mind, to be critical without cynicism, and ironic without losing actual human sympathy. if i were anywhere near California I'd definitely spend some time over there, at least to check it out. See Joan Didion, "Slouching Towards Bethlehem." Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:51:43 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/available-for-assignment-neverland-ranch-friday#150600 Wow, Alan, A silver bullet on this tuesday afternoon... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:47:25 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/available-for-assignment-neverland-ranch-friday#150602 alan is right on. this IS combat pay stuff. think of it- no matter how ill mj got over time, there are still 3 kids w/o a dad. thats tragic, no matter if kids lose dad in a war, a monsoon or ...whatever. and mj's story is about the american dream, the dark side of fame, desire to be loved and to stay a child forever...heady, heavy stuff, and too bad most shooters will be paparazzi stuff, not a story of depth and introspection..this is a great shot for ya. an oh i hope you get paid too... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:07:18 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/available-for-assignment-neverland-ranch-friday#150603 The Jackson family is now saying the deal is off for Friday. I couple of people from my agency are already staked out up there but it may be a flop. But the Jacksons and the MSM seem to be saying something contradictory every few hours so we will wait and see. I pretty much exclusively do war/conflict stuff abroad and it has been weird to cover this story here at home. But I figured I could justify it in that it is a global story and there is more foreign media than domestic actually covering it on the streets of LA and the world is watching for better or worse (though that's not an excuse to take our eyes of Iran). That and that I just happened to be in town so why not. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:15:38 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/available-for-assignment-neverland-ranch-friday#150638 It is a very interesting topic indeed! I never been a super fan of MJ, but I like him and when I was a teenager I have been to a lot of concerts, including his. I never saw people crazy like they were for him, they started to pass out for the emotion as soon as he appeared in the stage... and it was so wierd to read that cause of his death there are even fans that suicided themselfes... he was so important to many people! Don't know why there are people who are putting their life in the hands of someone they don't even know but I am sure that if I was in LA I wuold have tried to go to neverland too, just to understand what it meaned for this people to loose MJ... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:52:11 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/available-for-assignment-neverland-ranch-friday#150641 Derek. . . You might want to pack up your gear. Latest from the Jackson family: The Jackson family has just released a statement via their newly acquired reps, saying there will be no public or private service for Michael Jackson at Neverland. "Contrary to previous news reports, the Jackson family is officially stating that there will be no public or private viewing at Neverland. Plans are underway regarding a public memorial for Michael Jackson, and we will announce those plans shortly." Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:02:56 +0000 http://www.lightstalkers.org/posts/available-for-assignment-neverland-ranch-friday#150643