Whenever I comment on matters (even remotely) religious I usually end up going to the "Stained Glass" fractal series to pick the image for the post. This time I chose Stained Glass 59 because it's black and white (like one of Michael Jackson's songs). Surely you didn't think I could resist commenting on the circus that is the "King of Pop's" Memorial, did you?-
Let me begin with a confession: I'm not much of a Michael Jackson fan. I like his music enough that I don't change stations when one of his songs comes on the radio (but not enough to buy one of his albums). I appreciate what he did for the art of music videos and "breaking the color barrier" on MTV. That being said, I was saddened by the strange and scandalous turn his life took--not to mention his seeming desire to turn himself into a living, breath "anime" character. Like every other person on the planet who wasn't living under a rock I knew way too much about his personal life (and I blame both him and the mass media for that). I was a bit saddened and surprised to hear of his death on June 26th just on the eve of his big comeback tour. I wasn't really surprised by the ridiculous media coverage--at least at first. But now a week has passed and it's still "all Michael Jackson ALL THE TIME on pretty much any channel you turn to.
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That was over a week ago. Today ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC are broadcasting the Memorial Service (which seems a bit like overkill to me). CNN and Fox News are also broadcasting the thing. It's almost as if a real "King" had died! (Elvis Presley didn't get near this much coverage when he was buried!) Galavision, Telemundo and Univision AREN'T broadcasting the ceremony (no big surprise there) but, then again, neither is E! Entertainment Television--the network most likely to cover something of this nature. (They aren't even running any Michael Jackson-related specials.
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Maybe I've become jaded or hard-hearted but this nonstop coverage is REALLY starting to annoy me! I don't need to hear extended chats with backup dancers who worked with "MJ" on the Thriller video (and never saw him again) or the girl who got to go out with him when he was on The Dating Game when he was fourteen! I wouldn't be fighting for a spot at the funeral (and wouldn't even go to Staples Center if someone gave me a ride!) Of course at this point in my life I wouldn't do that for anybody (but I'm embracing my curmudgeonliness). Why the furor for a guy who just made records? It just leaves me baffled...
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I can respect him as an artist but the whole thing is just so completely and utterly over the top that I can't even begin to fathom it. We have real problems that are getting no attention: California is still without a budget, North Korea is firing missiles (and working on developing nuclear warheads) and the United States is still in the middle of an economic crisis of truly epic proportions and a mess in the Middle East that we may never get out of--and none of it gets covered. Even Sarah Palin's resignation barely registered on the news. There's something wrong with our news media (or us as consumers) if we allow this to happen. The Michael Jackson story is way past its expiration date. Time to let it fade away...
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'nuff said.
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