Spring Break
Michael Jackson invades boob tube as king of shlock
- Page 1 of 1
|
When did the networks decide to foist the three-ring circus that is Michael Jackson's life upon innocent television viewers? In no less than three weeks, broadcast and cable networks have found ratings glory with Jackson documentaries and news magazine specials dominating the airwaves. With ABC, NBC, FOX and VH1 all in the game, February sweeps 2003 will forever be known as the Winter of Wacko Jacko.
What does it all mean? Is Michael Jackson trying to make another comeback, albeit in the most twisted manner possible (i.e. a disgustingly biased Dateline special)? Honestly, what is the sudden interest in Michael Jackson on television? Jackson's life was supposed to be confined to the sordid journalism of the tabloid industry. I expect to see my Jacko on the cover of Star, and I appreciate his alien friends and those wacky adventures he is always having. Now, I can't escape the man. Perhaps everyone's favorite twisted has-been really just wants to be noticed again. How else do you explain dangling his infant child off a balcony with the excuse "the crowd [below] wanted to see him" - no matter what Elizabeth Taylor says!
That short news clip from December unwittingly started an irrevocable chain of media coverage that has led us to the current dark days of nose jobs, masks and ratings stunts. Biographer Martin Bashir was already working on his documentary Living with Michael Jackson for nearly a year before that curious story broke. After 2001's disappointing record sales for Invincible and a slew of legal battles and accusations of racism, the enigmatic Jackson seemed prime for another interview/biography to offer to puzzled viewers. After all, he is and will always be the King of Pop, the gifted talent that delivered "Billie Jean" and "Thriller."
Bashir's Living interview often indulged too heavy in sensationalism to be considered impartial and constructive. One has to seriously consider Bashir's motives to seek the truth behind Michael Jackson. This original ABC special managed to draw 27 million viewers, and then VH1 ran it into the ground by playing it five times a day. Either way, Bashir immediately cashed in on the oddities of Neverland, and one cannot blame him for such obvious exploitation. However, the resulting product, a mixture of bizarre, innocuous quirks with serious questions of Jackson's ethical behavior, felt exactly like the yellow journalism of Star.
Critics immediately responded with cries of mental incompetence and lavish deception. Overnight, Jackson, probably hoping that the special would help his image, found himself nailed to the media's cross. NBC responded in four days with a Dateline special, "Michael Jackson Unmasked," which featured interviews with cosmetic surgeons and "friends" who were more content with playing "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" than revealing any truth to the Jackson phenomenon. Did we really need NBC to tell us that Jackson has indeed had more than two operations on his face? When Jacko confessed to going under the knife only twice, I doubt anyone in America, save for himself, truly believed his claim. To top it off, Dateline, which made a mockery of serious media coverage, included a random African-American man decrying Jackson for self-hatred of his black skin, thus analyzing without any logic the reason why he "became a white man."
Granted, Jackson is one peculiar individual, and the Living special's saving grace is that it portrayed Jackson sympathetically in regards to his motives. The interview special contained a logic that roots Jackson's insecurities in childhood, which nearly misses the point. Unfortunately, the honest sympathy reduced his life through popular psychology that places the blame on Jackson's abusive parents, rather than the real enemies - his own inability to accept his limits and the media. Perhaps Bashir should have spent more time trying to empathize with the complicated, fragile and lonely man.
Ironically, FOX delivered a version of the truth that I think most people should listen to closely. Where Bashir simply touched the surface, and Dateline dared not explore any sensitivity to Jackson and his kids, FOX hired Maury Povich to host Take Two: The Interview They Wouldn't Show You and delivered plenty of surprising turns to the media battle. Once Bashir's special aired, Michael publicly denounced the interview, claiming Bashir misled viewers into accepting false allegations about his conduct as a father. The gimmick special featured footage that did not make the Living special, as Jackson's own cameras (rolling simultaneously with Bashir's) captured another side of the story.
If you felt the Living special was a tad incomplete, the Jackson rebuttal fought back by pointing out the details that Bashir overlooked in his indicting bias. For instance, the fire accident on the Pepsi commercial that required Jackson facial surgery was suspiciously left out of the Bashir interview. Furthermore, Jackson's cameras captured Bashir praising Michael for his love and diligence as a further, and subsequent rescue interviews with former wife/surrogate mother Debbie Rowe and confidante Elizabeth Taylor portray Jackson as a flawed but loving man. Even Jermaine Jackson stopped by to defend his brother.
In the battle for Jackson's image, the truth will forever remain hidden behind allegations, biased interviews and Jackson's own deluded fantasy world. It is my opinion that everyone should leave the man alone at Neverland and quit focusing on his minutia. Unfortunately, the ratings indicate that is better left undone. At this point, Jackson's title must now slightly be altered to King of Pop. Yes, the media must share the blame, but Jackson doesn't make it easy for us to leave him alone. His child is named Blanket!
However, the documentaries need to stop, especially the kind of off-kilter, indicting hackwork from Bashir and Dateline. Instead, the ratings bonanza has trickled down into countless Michael Jackson films airing on cable, and future made-for-TV movies are in the works. This is all means that I can enjoy the history of his spectacular music videos and The Wiz on VH1, but by May sweeps some no name actor will portray Michael on NBC for profit. Instead of all this mess, perhaps we should give the crazy Jackson his own reality program, a la The Anna Nicole Show. Perhaps in two seasons, Jackson could pay off his debts, whet the viewers' appetite for odd superstars and entertain those looking for a cheap laugh.