Stars: They're Nothing Like Us (R.I.P. M.J.)

If there is anything that has shaken the foundation of this country more than 9/11, I think it's the death of Michael Jackson last week. What a peculiar feeling to have the biggest pop star of our lifetime kick the bucket in such a relatively ordinary manner. Yeah, there were perhaps drugs involved, but when it comes down to it, this was not an obvious overdose. Nor was it a murder or a tragic car accident or any other death befitting a music icon. And perhaps it is more unsettling for M.J. to have a heart attack than a more dramatic death too. With all the crazy stuff that happened to him or because of him, you'd really expect more of his death.

So maybe that's why the world has gone completely nuts in the last week - they need closure. They expected more of M.J.'s death, and they intend to get it. The media frenzy is out of control with speculation on his death and the future of his estate. They're rerunning interviews with him or people related to him to demonstrate how crazy his life was. It's like the world is at a standstill. There is nothing to report that isn't somehow Michael Jackson related. But at what cost? What are we missing out on?

Here are a few things that were overshadowed by Michael Jackson's Death:

1) Goodbye Farrah Fawcett

Poor Farrah Fawcett. Hollywood pulled a mean trick on her when it comes to her death. She and the media worked so so hard to make her battle with cancer into a tearjerker for the public to remember for years to come. She had the television special, Farrah's Story, documenting for the world the traumatic struggle. She had the troubled son who got out of jail to see her one last time. And she had the last minute marriage proposal that kept us all rooting she'd pull through to tie the knot one last time. She did all the right things to be remembered, and then BAM, she gets upstaged. All we've seen in the news for months is Farrah's deteriorating condition and now hardly anyone remembers her name.

2) Governor Sanford Sex Scandal

Man, you couldn't ask for a better time to go public about your affair. People barely batted an eye when they hear that South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was having a ridiculously long distance affair with an even more ridiculous cover story. I don't know what married adult man thinks that he can disappear to South America for a week and his wife won't notice. While Governor Sanford did get caught and will likely face an angry wife, the rest of the country could care less. We're all too busy worrying about who is going to get Michael Jackson's kids and whether or not his doctor could have called 911 quicker. It's like Sanford got away with murder - the perfect crime.

3) Goodbye Billy Mays

Who? Maybe it had less to do with M.J. and more to do with the fact that no one ever knew The OxiClean Man's real name. Still, you bump your head during a rough airplane landing and two days later, BAM - heart disease. If I were an infomercial salesman, I'd be pretty worried.

4) Jon & Kate Minus Each Other

Even two super bitchy parents clawing for the spotlight and exploiting their children for fame can't beat out the King of Pop. Granted, this is the man who had sleepovers with little boys and thought of himself as Peter Pan. But still, it amazes me how quickly J&K+8 was forgotten. Two weeks ago, you couldn't get through a single store checkout line without seeing some picture of Kate yelling at kids and driving her husband away with her bitchery. Maybe they'll get back together to turn the drama up a titch. That'll give M.J. a run for his money.

5) Violence in the Middle East

Isn't there some kind of violent protest/rally thing in Iran right now that we're supposed to or not supposed to be getting involved with? I wonder if they ever settled that one. Oh, well, I'm more interested in whether or not the crazy Gary, Indiana mayor will be able to persuade M.J.'s parents to send the body over for the stadium-sized memorial service he's decided to plan.

This whole mess is like a big train wreck that you can't take your eyes off of. I'm sick of it, but at the same time something is keeping me tuned in. Perhaps it's the lack of closure or perhaps it's just a good story. Either way, we may be missing a lot of other stuff going on in the world, but at least we'll be thoroughly entertained by tragedy for a while.

This entry was posted by Lady Amy, on Wednesday, July 01, 2009. You can leave your response.