I don't get it...

[sleigh]

There is no news today, according to CNN or MSNBC or even Faux News.  At least not unless you're talking about Michael Jackson.  CNN is 24/7 MJ today.  Even the online site is saturated with it.  At 2:00 PM, here are the top seven 'stories' on their front page -- the banner headline is, naturally, "FAREWELL TO THE KING OF POP"

• Fans across country to mourn Jackson 4 min
• Fans assemble for Jackson Memorial
• L.A. wants help paying for Jackson memorial
• iReport.com: How are you honoring MJ today?
• Time: Places to go to honor Michael Jackson
• Web braces for Michael Jackson onslaught
• Ticker: Obama pays his respects to MJ

I don't get it.  Look, I agree that MJ was a talented entertainer.  Yes, he had millions of fans.  Yes, he was an intriguing character with some glaring and 'interesting' flaws.  But he's been dead for twelve days now, and the onslaught of MJ stories and specials has yet to abate.  Am I simply not remembering the same thing happening when John Lennon was shot, or when Elvis died on the crapper?  Did the media go this bonkers over them too?

There are tons of stories out there going begging for attention:  the unrest in western China, where even the state-run news outlets are admitting to over a hundred deaths; the just-signed treaty with Russia; the continuing war in Afghanistan; the clerics (including Ayatollahs Montazeri and Sanei) coming out for Mousavi in the Iranian election against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Council of Guardians; the weirdness of the coup in Honduras, with the ousted president circling the airport trying to land...  Heck, even Palin's strange and mysterious resignation.  

Sure, give us an 'update' on Jackson once an hour or so.  But hey, let's have some actual news.  Y'know, stuff that has to do with real life, not the passing of a pop star, even one who's arguably an icon.

This has been a curmudgeonly rant.  You may now return to watching the MJ memorial service.

Comments

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

Yes, Crom, Princess Di's death! Oh, how sick I was of that after one day. I went to the NY Renaissance Faire that day, and people were positively distraught.

And I was like, "What, did you know her personally?"

It's not that I've never shed a tear for a dead celeb, and any time the planet is robbed of talent or caring is a cause to mourn. But seriously--prostrate with grief for a stranger?

Maybe it's my Irish heritage (the stories about our wakes are true), but ongoing histrionics in the face of death always make me roll my eyes.