My heart goes out to the family and fans of Michael Jackson. His death was indeed tragic. But it was hard to watch the media coverage and not be struck by the absurdity of it all. Here are a few things I observed. (Friday questions will return next week.)A police officer leaving Jackson’s Holmby Hills home was asked, “What’s the mood in there?”
A fan on camera said the news of Michael Jackson made her burst out hysterical at Gelsons.
Another was so upset she had to leave Popeye’s Chicken.
One local station showed this graphic:
-- Pronounced dead at 2:36P
-- Died at UCLA Medical Center
--Jackson Family heartbroken
Until I saw that graphic I had no idea the family was upset.
Fans flocked to the Michael Jackson star on the Hollywood Walk-of-Fame. But it was talkshow host’s star, not Jacko’s. His star was covered by a red carpet laid down for the premiere of BRUNO.
But here’s the great part: The fans were informed this was the wrong Michael Jackson but they remained and set up their shrine anyway.
Anytime a station went to their on-site reporter for a live look-in, everyone behind the reporter had a cellphone and was waving to whoever they were talking to. Not exactly folks in deep mourning.
We were told Elizabeth Taylor was too distraught to Tweet a statement.
And no Tweets from Oprah or Diana Ross either.
But M.C. Hammer was all a-Twitter. Fox News ran a banner that read: ‘MC Hammer tweets on Jackson death: `I have no words.' This they consider a headline???
One fan said the world’s going to unite, just like they did with Obama. She said his death was on a par with Martin Luther King and Gandhi. (The reporter added “and Sinatra”) And this fan went on to predict, “You’re going to see a paradigm shift in the consciousness of what one man did.” I’m not sure what that means but I’m using it my next eulogy.
Below is one grief stricken fan.
Corey Feldman issued this statement: “"I come to you today with great sadness, acknowledging the loss of the greatest entertainer in the history of mankind.”
Even so, I'm even more upset that Sky Saxon from the Seeds also passed away yesterday.
I wonder if ESPN NEWS still cut away to Albuquerque to show Manny Ramirez’s at bats in a minor league game.
More fan reactions: One said the best thing about Michael Jackson was how he could seduce women. And he said this with a straight face. An Asian girl at the wrong Michael Jackson star said she saw a small crowd milling about and “asked a couple of gay guys what was going on.” The reporter cited her as an example of the international popularity of MJ because she had come all the way from China. Yeah, but she was here already on vacation. She didn’t fly over just for this. She was probably just coming out of Popeye's Chicken.
Footage of the paramedics at Jackson’s house showed the ambulance took forever trying to back out of his narrow driveway. Footage supplied by one of the great news bureaus of the world -- Hollywood Starline Tours.
If there is anyone who thinks there's still not enough Michael Jackson coverage it's South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford.
Maybe if the major networks still had news departments the announcement of Jackson’s death wouldn’t first be reported on TMZ.
Poor Farrah. Both ABC and NBC had tribute specials for her ready to go and they were either scrapped or folded into the Michael Jackson coverage.
And finally this: One local news outlet showed a few people gathering on the lawn of MJ’s modest boyhood home in Gary, Indiana. It’s this little matchbox. The news anchor said, “This will be the next Graceland”.
And this stuff is only from the first day.
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