I have no idea why Michael Jackson doesn't stick to what he does best: good music. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think he's a landmark in pop history, an icon, an idol, whatever you want - but one thing cannot be denied: he doesn't score too many points in the looks department - not anymore, at least. It gives me great pain to write this, seeing how I grew up listening to his music, and the first-ever audio tape I bought for myself was a selection of his greatest hits - but Michael really looks like he's completely made of plastic, and like his head has simply been superimposed on someone else's body.

Whoever shot this cover must really hate Michael's guts, since they sure didn't make him any favors. He looks strangely frozen, as if he just saw or heard some really bad news - and his face looks like a plastic mask. I would have thought - especially after he did that photo shoot with Bruce Weber for L'UOMO Vogue magazine - that there were some simple steps (you know, like some do's and dont's, some tips and tricks) that could help any photographer make Jacko look like his various body parts aren't falling apart anymore. Those classy, glossy black-and-white shots really worked for him and his current look. So what went wrong this time?

Well, let's have a look. Nose? Check. Both cheeks still on? Check. But the lights and the colors really don't match his very pale complexion. Plus, the color on a guy's face isn't supposed to be the same all over, if you know what I mean. Even with heavy make-up on, there are still shades of white, pink and everything in between, and a good make-up artist knows that. I mean, not too life-like, but not too much like a porcelain statue, either.

It's not only about the fact that it makes Michael look bad (which, in this case, I'm afraid it does), but it also promotes an image of him that throws a bad light over his musical achievements. I mean, say whatever you want, looks are important and in the end, Michael himself probably understands that, since he does such things as promotional magazine spreads. So, I believe a change of make-up artists is in order. What say you?