Band Sold Separately

Tuesday, September 29

This Is It? We Should Be So Lucky...

My last few trips to the movies have been plagued by the trailer for next month's Michael Jackson propaganda piece concert film This Is It. If the trailer is any indication, it consists of 90 to 120 minutes of crowds screaming and gushing over Michael Jackson, stagehands and backup musicians gushing over Michael Jackson and Jackson himself so the audience has something to gush over. I suppose if you're the type of fan whose face is likely to show up in "crowd scene number 7," the whole thing will be right up your alley.

Myself, I think I'd rather stay home and mow the lawn. With scissors. Dull ones.

Now, this may not be for the reasons you think. Granted, the idea of paying $9 to sit in a dark room with a bunch of squealing MJ fen makes my spine crawl; and, if the trailer is any indication, the level of adulation heaped on Jackson in this movie is ludicrously over-the-top (which, I suppose, in its own weird way makes it a rather apt tribute).

What really puts me off more than anything is, ironically, the film's entire purpose - showcasing Jackson as an entertainer and a showman in his prime. It's a sad reminder that the man did have talent. I've never been a fan of him or his music, but I have no problem admitting Michael Jackson was very good at what he did, one of the best of his generation. That he chose to squander that talent, along with the adulation and obscene amount of money it earned him, is tragic and stupid. He indulged himself in whatever fantasy caught his attention, and none of the snakes and sycophants he surrounded himself with had guts or integrity enough to put a stop to it. This Is It wants to be an unabashed celebration of the best part of Michael Jackson's life, and I suppose it'll do that well enough. But in doing so, it can't help calling attention to all the things he flushed away, and that's more depressing than I care to take.

Posted by: Steve Miller at 18:23 | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 355 words, total size 2 kb.

Hide Comments | Add Comment