Michael Jackson is dead!
June 25, 2009 at 6:45 pm by Scott Henry in News
The King is dead.
Holy merde! The onetime King of Pop, who had recently sold out 50 upcoming arena concerts in London for what was supposed to be his comeback, apparently suffered a cardiac arrest in a rented Bel-Air mansion shortly after noon today. Jackson was rushed to UCLA Medical Center, where he reportedly arrived in a deep coma from which he never revived. The L.A. Times reported Jackson’s death this afternoon.
From where I sat, TMZ seemed to be the first out of the gate with the news, with most mainstream media outlets taking longer to confirm the story.
No word yet on why Jackson, 50, collapsed, but I’m guessing CNN may devote a few minutes of coverage to the story at some point tonight.
This news flash illustrates one big difference between new and old media. Namely, if 50 million people watch the ABC Nightly News at the same time, it scores massive ratings; if 50 million people try to put something on Twitter at the same time — as is happening at this very moment — it crashes.
(Photo courtesy White House Photo Office)
June 25th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Farrah just can’t catch a break.
June 25th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
You said it. In the pop icon postmortem media focus, the sequin glove and creepy plastic surgery seems to have easily trumped the famed mane and famed erect nipples.
June 26th, 2009 at 1:52 am
The other difference between traditional media and new social media is that most of us heard the news much sooner and more real-time than if we had waited for a television broadcast. It is amazing how fast news is traveling and how social media and even cell phone texting, images and videos is perhaps making us all more informed and holding more accountability to the world at large.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Children around the world can sleep a bit safer tonight.
June 26th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
There was no evidence to suggest that MJ molested any child. Neither confessing to sharing a bed with kids nor paying a case settlement translate to molestation. What people should be asking is why he did it. There is ample evidence that suggest that MJ had low self esteem and he trusted kids more than adults for the simple reason that some people had double crossed him and thus cannot be trusted. Another question is why on earth would a parent want money to settle a crime against their child? An important question still remaining in this allegations is why did the parents of the so called child victims allow their children to play at MJ’s house if he already had a record of child molestation? None of these parents provided convincing responses. So in the absence of evidence, people should refrain from labling MJ a peadophile. May his Soul Rest in Peace.
June 26th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
@ zane – pedophile? who cares in america these days? the man made THRILLER! he invented the moonwalk!
besides, mj was a true lover of children until the end. i hear his last words were “take me to the children’s hospital”.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
@ Zane “There was no evidence to suggest that MJ molested any child”
WTF!?!
You mean besides the 11 year old boy who described Jackson’s penis?
Or the ones to whom he gave wine aka “Jesus Juice”?
Whatever you are taking, I want half of one.