http://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/or...5150.xml&coll=7
Dancing with...
rock royalty Michael Jackson and Prince checked into Bettie Ford.
It only sounds like a tabloid headline. The respective king and prince of pop didn't admit themselves into the famous rehab clinic. Rather, DJ Dave Paul of San Francisco spun songs from each artists' vast catalog at hot downtown Portland spot the Bettie Ford Lounge.
This was a debate taken to the dance floor, right to the fans who buy the records, to decide the true musical monarch. But before the evening's polling results, here's a quick rundown of the candidates:
The number of albums Jackson has sold (including his time with the Jackson Family) is estimated at 400 million.
Prince (including his "family" of protgs Sheila E. and Vanity 6): 150 million.
Prince has amassed scores of Billboard Top 40 hits, including "Let's Go Crazy" and "Purple Rain."
Jackson has, too, mostly in the 1980s, before he seemingly went nuts and moved to Bahrain.
While there's been no word of a new Michael Jackson album, Prince's newest CD, "3121," was released the week of the Bettie Ford party. Early reviews called it one of his best, a return to his classic '80s sound; Rolling Stone magazine even awarded it four stars.
A slam-dunk, then, for Prince? The dance floor revealed a different story.
Rich Whitekettle, a 26-year-old salesman who lives in Southeast Portland, picked Jackson, citing three reasons: "His dance moves, the beats and he's a cool guy, even with all the craziness; you can't deny his music or his legend."
Added Jeff Naylor, 30, a mortgage broker, "Prince is a tough cat, but MJ had those beats. Everything he did, and does to this day, makes me want to dance."
After Seda Mills, 30, cast her vote for Jackson, her friend Liz Wacker, 26, lodged a loud protest: "Prince is the bomb!" No surprise that Wacker, too, hails from that purple state of Minnesota.
