As we collectively honor/ogle Michael Jackson, it’s worth noting the pervasiveness of MJ’s influence as a performer was not always a good thing. For every Filipino prison “Thriller” or “Dance Raja Dance”, there’s probably dozens of these:
For the impatient, the explosion of MJ-ness arrives at the two-minute mark.
(Thank you @Kltpzyxm. By which I mean, no thank you.)
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)
