July 8, 2009

Occasionally, death is creepy

The phone rings Monday night and it's my mom.

Me: Hi, Mom.
Mom (excitedly, without pausing to say something like "Hello"): You going to the funeral?
Me (trying to remember if a relative or close friend had died in the previous 24 hours): Huh?
Mom: Michael Jackson's!

Oh. That.

Of course, I did think for a few minutes about entering the lottery for the KOP's memorial service, but despite my love for recently deceased individuals who I've never met, large crowds, driving to Dodger Stadium to wait in line for stuff, Los Angeles traffic made worse by widespread street closures, and things that are generally overwrought, I decided against it. Sounds crazy, I know, but I think the right time to get Michael Jackson tickets was actually about 25 years ago.

And so I determined to skip the big to-do at Staples Center yesterday. But like any good child of the 80s, I did tune in for some of the online coverage.

There were plenty of creepy moments, ranging from slightly uncomfortable to cringeworthy - I'm looking at you, singing-to-the-casket-Usher - but I especially liked these two (click to enlarge images):

1) Video Michael reaches out for a low-five from Brooke Shields.


2) City of Los Angeles asks mourners to kick in a little coin to pay for all of the city's hard work in shutting down most of downtown for a day - with the clever spin that it would give Jackson "the world-class memorial he deserves." Right.

4 comments:

bugs said...

1) leave mom out of it
2) DONATIONS TO CLOSE ROADS FOR HIS FUNERAL? IS THAT A JOKE?!
3) the fact that all the major networks had to cover his funeral is beyond me. don't get me wrong - i'm a HUGE fan - but it caused my soap opera not to be aired. C'MON! can't we leave this high-newsworthy event to be covered only on like CNN?! or HLN?

OneZenMom said...

Newsflash: He's still dead. Film at 11. And 12. and 1. And 2 ... Good thing I'm not bitter about this or anything.

DGB said...

I'm proud of the fact that I have not watched a single second of coverage from the funeral.

And yes Bugs, it cost the city of LA around $4 million so that they could put on this thing at the Staples. Roads closed. It was a total CF.

JBhumitra said...

i havent really been following the coverage, there are too many "breaking stories" about this and i simply dont have the time to keep up. i spend all my free time reading SFTC. :) usher really sang to the casket?! weirddddd