– Michael Jackson’s Thriller video re-enacted by 1,500 Philippino prisoners.
Michael Jackson died today. I could say plenty about how odd he was and how much of an impact he had on pop music, but all I can think of right now is that his passing couldn’t possibly have come at a worse time.
The 24hr news cycle has been effectively owned by something very different for over a week now: the brutal, post-election repression of Iranians protesting against a state-delivered and “divinely-inspired” coup d’etat. Quite rightly, the news trickling out from Tehran has dominated the front pages of the world’s newspapers and has led the online content of the better news blogs, not to mention Twitter (which really seems to have found a measure of genuine relevance in the last few days).
The death of Michael Jackson changes all that. For how long remains a mystery, but whatever time is given to the regime of Iranian dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not be wasted.
I fear that with the world’s dulled and de-sensitized eyes now steered from the violence in Iran to the death of an 80’s phenom, the hard line goons will almost surely seize the opportunity to apply a new ferocity against their opponents. It is, to quote Kant, totally messed up (translation mine). Indeed, I doubt the bastards could have asked for a better or more poetically ironic scenario.
The ayatollah’s always decry Western culture as foul, saving particularly venom and ridicule for our preoccupation with celebrity. And here we are, turning our backs and proving their point as they reload their AK-47’s and sharpen their long knives, smiling and no doubt singing at their good fortune:
Its close to midnight and something evils lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes,
Youre paralyzed, ’cause this is Thriller, Thriller night!
Just, damn.
We took a look around the web just moments after Jackson’s death was confirmed. See for yourselves, the horror…
ABC News
CNN
MSNBC
BBC
Huffington Post
Al Jazeera
Yup. Seriously.
In case your news outlet of choice has slipped on the same juvenile banana, here’s a reminder, courtesy of HuffPo (albeit on the sidelines):
Warning: graphic video. What seems to be the first video actually depicting an Iranian being shot on camera by government officials has hit the internet. The shooting occurs while the person filming is quite far away, but the video then shows closer images of his body. The video is dated June 20. One can only imagine what an accurate count of the injured and dead demonstrators would look like at this point:
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Well, it’s either that or Transformers.
It is such a great loss that a man with great talent like Michael Jackson dies. RIP King of POP
page 2…page 4…page 16…sigh. Well thank god that’s over.
were all fucked
Golly. Sure.
But you might think it’s a curious twist that Ed McMahon vinyls — especially ‘Friars Roast 11’ — (where ‘Dom Deluise, Carol Channing, Corey Feldman and Jason Priestley — and, OK, me) roast Big Ed royally and right up the fundament! are flying off the shelves at Virgins pretty much everywhere.
Many graveside visitors thought that Robin Williams’ tribute to McMahon was amongst the most touching when Robbie (who rightfully acknowledged Big Ed”s easy, even affable laugh) quoted him on his deathbed, when he says “I’m good to go – just promise me that Ryan O’Neill won’t pitch me.”
You see, I always looked up to Farrah.
Anyway, tough week, like when Uncle Miltie left us.
Take Care of the Kids – Jerry.
Thanks very much, Jer (and I know that spelling wasn’t your strong suit after Aaron left the planet), but it’s O’Neal. Got it?
Obviously the tsunami of Michael’s death has buried not just our family (Tatum’s on the mend–she threw a FULL DRINK through the flat screen just last night during the Wimbie coverage), but also the extended McMahon clan as well. Many of Big Ed’s relatives (apparently from Ireland and Burbank et al) have arrived in LA, and we’re billeting as many as possible at our place. “Overflow to Neverland”, I’ve being saying under my breath.
What many folks don’t know about Ed was that he was a highly-decorated war hero (almost as many medals as Mark Spitz) probably because he was from Detroit which could really use him now to cheer things up. It’s been widely repeated that this war experience equipped him to become the celebrated co-host (with the equally-ageless Dick Clark) of of TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes from 1982 to 1986.
Lastly, Ed brought much joy into American households as the spokesperson for the now-defunct American Family Publishers sweepstakes (not, as is commonly believed, its main rival Publishers Clearing House).
Life’s like a faucet right now. But many thanks to our Canadian friends,
Ryan.