"if it's good news, it must be someone else's"

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

920. michael jackson

death does wonders for the goodness of one's life story, if only momentarily.
and i suppose why not, after all, the well intentioned ruse is only momentary.
yesterday's public funeral for michael jackson was such a fond farewell by celebrities celebrating celebrity as only celebrities can do.
and the mourning masses were appeased.

but now what?

the toxicology report.
the ugly family feuds over everything michael.
the untold tell-all stories surely to fill the barnes and noble holiday budget table by christmas time.
the human branding business underbelly rearing it's slop and demanding its ounce of michael's flesh.
the supermarket tabloids splashing check-out line eyes with wild images and claims of michael sightings in istanbul, now named michele, dressed in a mysterious burka, clutching her half-human/half-wildebeest offspring.

most likely and most sadly, the fragile lives of the kids, snatched away much like their father's.

3 comments:

itsmecissy said...

Well said (as usual) bob. I've been restraining myself from commenting (on my own blog) about the media circus that is being made of MJ's death. OMG, a golden casket???

I haven't watched any of it...on purpose. Last night on the news I did see the weeping daughter, Paris, and cynically wondered if she was "faking it." Isn't that terrible? But when I saw Magic Johnson say that MJ had made him a better point guard, I almost threw up and turned the channel.

Unfortunately, it's far from over and we will be hearing of the ugly sordid details soon enough.

Jenn Thorson said...

I'd just posted on this topic myself today, Bob-- and the disconnect between truth and media spin on all of this.

It's a mess of extremes, isn't it?

Robert Crane said...

itsme - i had the same initial reaction to the daughter and still feel like scum for going there, as fleeting a thought as it was.

jenn - yeah, i think that is what troubles me so much. this balance between paying respect to an entertainment icon who certainly was a part of my pop culture life but corraling the praise as to not brighten the dark.

lightly - get those remote batteries replaced my friend. i don't want to read about you in the obituaries one day.