Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Today's Video Link

When something's funny, it's even funny in Spanish...

• Posted at 10:04 PM · LINK

Tuesday Morning

Watching a little of the news coverage of Michael Jackson's funeral, I am reminded of a very sage, brave thing that Andy Richter said on Late Night with Conan O'Brien years ago. It was the evening of the day Sonny Bono was buried and all the networks had pre-empted soaps 'n' Oprah to bring it all to us live. Andy asked, "When did Sonny Bono turn into Princess Di?" This was Sonny Bono, for God's sake...a guy who the day before his death mattered to the world primarily as a punchline in jokes.

You could make the case, of course, that Bono was a Congressman and a semi-important figure in the history of popular music...but you could make a better case for lots of folks whose funerals went untelevised.

Michael Jackson sold a helluva lot of records...and I'll tell you one great measure of their importance to people. Next time you're in Vegas, try to walk through any casino that plays music and not hear Michael Jackson. They run him incessantly because he's so familiar to the generation that now represents their target audience. But it ain't just the record sales that led to the frenzy that clogs the streets of Los Angeles today. It's that like Sonny (and Cher), we got stuck following the deceased's life — marriages, divorces, comebacks, etc. In Jackson's case, we couldn't turn away from the non-musical stuff, especially when child molestation was alleged. We had to live all that so we might as well be there for the burial.

I gather that the Jackson family was hoping/praying that the big comeback tour would achieve two things; that it would replenish Michael's depleted finances and that it would drown out the tales of pedophilia and bizarre marriages and parenting. It may be small consolation that his death looks to be fulfilling both goals, but I'll bet some of his fans are relieved. Now they can just enjoy the music without worrying what he's going to do next to make them feel embarrassed to love his records.

• Posted at 10:23 AM · LINK