A World Class Memorial In A Third World State

"We are asking fans of Michael Jackson to help contribute to a world-class memorial for a world-class superstar by helping contribute to keeping this place safe."-Matt Szabo, press secretary to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
So who should pay for the spectacle that was Michael Jackson's funeral? The state is broke, it certainly can't afford the extravagance. You can't ask the family to pay for it, they're too busy fighting over his financial legacy.And even though his estate is looking to reap profits from record breaking record sales, don't expect them to contribute anything to this "world class ( somehow, to me, Michael Jackson and class are opposite ends of a spectrum) memorial.
That leaves Jackson's fans, the enablers, the apologists, and the idiots who bought into that whole "King-of-Pop" bullshit and believed that Michael was something more than a gifted singer and dancer and believed he changed the world by making pop music videos, dressing in pseudo-militaristic garb, and mutilating his face beyond recognition.
It is said that Michael Jackson bridged a gap in our culture between black and white, and in the end, it was his wealthy celebrity friends who got to participate in this "world class memorial" with out contributing a dime. But by asking his relatively pauper fans to foot the bill, the state of California has crossed the line.

Michael Jackson: What Will Happen

With the passing of Michael Jackson yesterday, there has been an effort by his celebrity friends to beatify him, which is fitting, since like some men of the cloth, he couldn't keep his hands off children. With all the glowing tributes around the world, plus his own addiction to plastic surgery, it's hard for some people to forget that he was merely a gifted an talented human being. And, for what it's worth, one hundred years from now, all that will be left of his legacy is the most important part: his music.
What struck me following the news of his death was not the immediate response, nor are the rumors of his prescription drug use as a probable cause, since he was his generation's equivalent of Elvis. What I read yesterday was the story of his people following him into the hospital pleading for the doctors to save him.
Not to be crass, but a megacelebrity ( or do I mean ubercelebrity?)like Jackson employed an army of helpers, I'm sure. From the personal trainer, a nanny or two for the photo op prop tots, nutritionists, housekeepers, personal security, drivers, you're talking about a lot of people who relied on Jackson for their daily bread. So what is likely to happen once all the glowing tributes have faded, and the twenty-four hour news cycle pounds the story into the ground, is one or two of those former employees, non-disclosure forms be damned, will be a spate of tell-all books, leaked to supermarket tabloids, lurid details of just how fucked up a drug addled celebrity with more money than guidance can get when surrounded by sycophants who won't tell him no. And, barring a suit by the Jackson estate, people will pour through them, cluck their tongues and feel, better them selves because they know that if they had that much money and talent, they wouldn't have squandered it like Jackson. And then, it twenty years or so, all that will be left is his music. Which is as it should be.

Rest In Peace: Charlton Heston

There's a scene in Bowling For Columbine where Charlton Heston, after being blindsided by Michael Moore, turns from being a robust gun rights supporter into a frail old man as he walks away from the camera. You almost felt sorry for him. It's not as if he was doing anything wrong,he just felt that responsible gun owners shouldn't be punished for the actions of the irresponsible anymore than auto owners shouldn't be punished for the actions of drunk drivers or responsible marijuana users should be punished for those who keep shows like Family Guy on the air.
Charlton Heston marched with Martin Luther King during a civil rights march in Washington DC in 1963, but is perhaps better remembered for his roles in his science fiction trilogy: Col. Taylor in Planet of the Apes ("You maniacs!"); Col. Robert Neville in The Omega Man ( recently remade starring Will Smith as I Am Legend); and detective Robert Thorn in Soylent Green ("It's people!"). Okay, maybe more people will remember him for his Oscar-winning role as Judah Ben-Hur, but around here, it's his over-the-top acting that we appreciate, not his increasingly right wing political stances he took in his later years (We attribute that to the onset of Alzheimer's disease).