Enough Already

Is there no end in sight of the King of Pop Mania? We don't seem to be anywhere near the end on news and entertainment programs, but everyone I know that has an opinion is very tired of the hype and hoopla concerning Jackson's death. Lately, there's been relatively little news coverage of things like multiple American States teetering on bankruptcy, the Iraq and Iran situations, and any number of other more important matters. Susan Estrich pretty much sums it up in her column from July 1. Let the man rest in peace and let's the rest of us get on with life.

Okay, calm down...

This will be a short post. Michael Jackson has died. I was dumbfounded to see NBC's Brian Williams on the evening news tonight speaking at length with a correspondent in California while the video feed showed a crowd of reporters and fans milling about on the hospital grounds. I will make a wild guess and conclude that ABC and CBS (and CNN and CNBC) all had similar hand-wringing on their evening news programs. My condolences go to Jackson's family, but please the rest of you, get a grip. The curmudgeon in me has to conclude that Jackson hasn't been relevant as an entertainer for at least a decade or two, unless you count providing scandals and bizarre behavior as entertainment. As it has for years, pop "culture" mystifies me.

Why the network news programs should treat his death like the passing of a head of state is beyond me. I bet Andy Rooney wouldn't spend that much time on this story. Grumble, grumble.