Although, I also feel like saying that comparisons of MJ’s talent to that of any notably talented Idol contestant of choice or wishes of MJ superstardom for that favorite Idol should be made with caution.

MJ was a legend in the making from an early age. There is no comparison — none — in my opinion, to any American Idol contestant. The way Idol spawns its “stars” is very different than the way MJ evolved (and probably healthier for the performers, although association with this corporate monolith tends to rob them of their “cred”), groomed for performing stardom from an early age (in not the gentlest of ways) and nurtured by the Mowtown machine that was very different from, but probably equal in power and influence over time, to AI.

Michael’s talent was a gift that was exploited by others, and gave him fame and power and twisted him to the point that it ruined his career that ultimately impacted his health (again, my opinion). Think Judy Garland, among others gone too soon, and tragically. Elvis, too, but not so much since he was not known to have been exploited as a child performer and rose to fame as an adult.

I really hope the family puts a stop to this. IMO, this is not a tribute but just another way to add money to AI and Fox.
A real tribute would be to show MJ himself doing his songs.

I disagree. Part of a tribute to him means showing how his music continues to resonate, to be enjoyed, to be interpreted, and to be introduced to a whole new generation. How many youngsters hardly knew anything about MJ before hearing these songs on idol? And just as so many of these singers state him as a major influence, showing them sing and interpret his songs is just a testament to the power of them.

I really hope the family puts a stop to this. IMO, this is not a tribute but just another way to add money to AI and Fox.
A real tribute would be to show MJ himself doing his songs.

“Everybody” is doing Michael Jackson tributes. The airways were full of them last night…CBS, NBC. And they all showed snippets of Michael’s songs.

Just to be clear…somebody will be getting money for any videos aired during all of the other “tributes” and it won’t be the Jacksons. And all of the other stations, especially the “news” stations are staying with the story because it brings in viewers which translates to revenue.

“Altruistic” is not a word that is often used in the entertainment/news industry.

julesb2183
Jun 26th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Why would anyone want to watch those 13 singers again?? sheesh.

I really hope the family puts a stop to this. IMO, this is not a tribute but just another way to add money to AI and Fox.
A real tribute would be to show MJ himself doing his songs.

IMO, the show Monday will be heavily edited. The judges will of course add more comments.
There may be 2 or 3 good songs, but mainly the show will be boring. Guessing about 35 million people will be watching. Or more.

Thanks for that MTV awards link, Vicon! That’s a true MJ performance!

Just to add to that, here is a press release from Sony.

Sony Comments on the Passing of Michael Jackson

Here is an excerpt that gives you an idea of how hugely popular Micheal was during his career:

Five of Jackson’s solo albums – “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” “Bad,” “Dangerous” and “HIStory,” all with Epic Records, a Sony Music label – are among the top-sellers of all time. During his extraordinary career, he sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 No. 1 singles and became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and “Thriller” as the Biggest Selling Album of All Time. Jackson won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award’s Artist of the Century Award.

The tribute show will be nice to watch all over again.

Suzanne, MJ has Krisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Man in the Mirror. If you look at the left hand column, there is a heading that says American Idol.

Thanks so much. I just treated myself to a rewatch while at work (ut-oh). I’ve tried going back thru MJs to the post for that night, and those videos are not there. Yay! Thx. (BTW–Kara was really harsh in her criticism. He could have been a little stronger on the opening verse but, otherwise, I thought it was good.)

If it’s being rebroadcast as a tribute to MJ, then they should clean up the original (especially the sound, which typically sucks on the east coast feed) and make it the best television they can.

Hope this isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t OT, but it is a great, great essay by Ted Anthony of AP on MJ and Farrah and what they meant to a generation. Also, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s an interesting commentary on our current celebrity culture that these Idols are stepping into. http://omg.yahoo.com/news/two-lost-icons-for-generation-x-a-really-bad-day/24354?nc

Thank you SusanM for sharing that article. It was very interesting and well written, imo. From it:

Today, celebrities aren’t merely created for our consumption. Audiences are passive no longer. We demand a part in creating our icons: Jon and Kate Gosselin and their ilk might as well be publicly held companies, and we all insist upon buying a few shares. Farrah and Michael Jackson were other — above us, maybe, or apart from us. Now, when we crown new icons, we want them to BE us.

Isn’t that the (sad to me) truth! Thought-provoking… Thanks again for the link.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think this is an appropriate way to give tribute to Michael Jackson. This seems more like an attempt by Fox to capitalize on this tragedy and get attention for the AI Tour right before the AI Tour begins.

Making a buck remains important. It would be nice if more money from this rerun went to the contestants (and the band), who do the heavy lifting. Just hope they get a share in the proceeds (even though it wasn’t the best night for the Idols, really.)

Ironically, Who’s Bad, billed as the world’s foremost MJ tribute band, is playing the 9:30 Club in DC tonight. They were having trouble selling it out but now they’ve added a second late-night show.

As often happens, I guess we don’t know what we’ve got till it’s gone.