I wasn't the only guy wishing Michael Jackson's friends and family would have shown a little more decorum and restraint in turning the singer's funeral into a bad impersonation of The People's Choice Awards.The BBC reported 473 complaints about its coverage of the Jackson memorial service. The calls "expressed unhappiness" at the way the BBC dedicated two of its networks to the Los Angeles ceremony.
Obviously, considering the millions of TVs trained on the Jackson farewell all around the world, a few hundred moans with British accents don't qualify as an avalanche of negativity. But, the BBC admitted that 91 of the calls were specifically about the "excessive" coverage, and many griped about the maudlin tone of the reporting.
Of course, some of the complaints were your traditional "they took off my stories" variety. Those are unavoidable any time something throws off the normal broadcast schedule. There had to be the deranged out there who were put off that the news networks stayed live in New York on 9/11 rather than switch back to Passions or Judge Judy.
Speaking of deranged, the British tabloid press was no more forgiving of the Jackson memorial -- especially the painful farewell by Jackson's daughter, Paris. To see Jackson's extended family all but force the grieving girl to the mike for a tearful eulogy seemed like an overly engineered and produced end to an awkward afternoon.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-09-2009 @ 9:32AM
Kayden said...
I think what was even more insensitive, is that the BBC dedicated the day to Michael Jackson on the anniversary of the London Tube Bombings and seemed to bury 7/7 underground right along with Jacko... I doubt any network would dare do that on 9/11 (although admittedly that was a tragedy on a larger scale, but still...)
Reply
7-09-2009 @ 9:50AM
mj said...
Good for the Brits! I'm sorry. I know the guy was a star, but so are a lot of people. The media is really going crazy with celebrity action. Do we really need to see every minute of a celebrity trial? Or a wedding? Or a funeral? Come on. Is a celebrity shoplifting REALLY major news? State the facts, sure. But major coverage for days on end? I don't think so.
Reply
7-09-2009 @ 10:00AM
cdawg said...
While I agree (I was never the biggest MJ fan myself), I do understand how he was our generation's "Elvis" and thus deserving of his fan's rather extreme adulation.
7-09-2009 @ 9:58AM
cdawg said...
i watched what i could on youtube and thought Paris' little speech was the most touching part. It made me remember that Michael Jackson was a human being and a father, not just an entertainer and a weirdo.
Apparently the family wanted Janet to say the last words, but she couldn't pull herself together and Paris went up instead. I think she's beautiful and has a great head on her shoulders for someone who has grown up in such a strange environment.
I really enjoyed Brooke Shields' speech too.
Reply
7-09-2009 @ 11:17AM
Karen said...
I was as puzzled and put off by all the hoopla as the Brits. Sure, the poor guy was awfully talented, and he was a whopper of a hit 20 years ago, but jeez! I'm missing General Hospital for this? And since when are we weeping and wringing our hands over an oddball/weirdo/possible pedophile we were pointing at and laughing about last year?
Reply
7-09-2009 @ 11:44AM
MJL said...
You are talking about two different things here...your opening paragraph criticizes the Jacksons for "turning the singer's funeral into a bad impersonation of The People's Choice Awards." But the complaints were made about the BBC's excessive coverage...how are the two related?
Reply
7-09-2009 @ 12:33PM
jffm said...
The headline implies that there was some type of notable outrage over the coverage in the UK. By the third graf you fess up that, no, it was really just a small fraction of viewers. But hey, the BBC "admitted" a fraction of that fraction actually did complain about what the headline refers to.
Of all the yakking I've heard about Michael Jackson since his death I'd bet at least a quarter of it has been people yakking about how much other people are yakking. No, that's not ironic at all. No sir.
And here we are, the dust is finally settling. His death isn't off the radar entirely yet, but the tidal of coverage has pretty much passed. And yet people are still chewing up bandwidth rattling on about How Terrible All That Yakking Was. Hello? Sick of hearing about Jackson? How about just maybe starting with the sound of your own voice? Pot? Kettle? Yak?
Reply
7-09-2009 @ 4:19PM
am_hollitz said...
Pot? Kettle? Yak? -- that's excellent word play!
To boot, how much footage from Princess Diana's wedding, divorce, and death did we Americans have to plod through?
Brits have their royalty (for better or worse), and we have ours (for better or worse.)
7-09-2009 @ 1:09PM
frank12 said...
The memorial was watched by 4.5 m viewers.
And only 473 people complained.
This is nothing!!!!
Reply
7-10-2009 @ 10:04AM
nytheatreguy said...
I love how the people who hate MJ complain about his "excessive" fans (who, admittedly, are overly devoted in some respects) while ignoring their own tendency to go overboard in their dislike for him. Now they're claiming the family "forced" Paris to the mike? Oh, please.
Reply
7-11-2009 @ 10:09AM
Susana said...
Who wants the book Children of Michael Jackson, is in good condition the book was published in the year 1984 is provided of their childhood that began his career. Anyone interested I see it with a certain value. If you're interested in this book consider your opinion here or perhaps by e-mail.
Thank you.
Reply
7-18-2009 @ 3:16AM
Jason said...
I'm puzzled why you are opening your mouth karen and cdawg you say you watched what you could of the memorial on youtube well maybe you should have also watched when the rev al sharpton said to his 3 kids and as people heard all over the world that there was nothing "weird" about their dad. What WAS weird is what he had to deal with for so long and he dealt with it.
Reply
7-18-2009 @ 3:17AM
Jason said...
Also kayden his name is JACKSON not "jacko" and "mj" Michael was not just another "star" or "celebrity" he trancended much like walter cronkite did.
Reply