I know this is going to sound rude but..

[AdminAssistant]

Complaining about the media not covering Jackson's memorial is like complaining about the media covering a President's funeral. It's going to happen. I believe even the venerable BBC aired the entire thing. I was totally fine with that, it was a very lovely service, and he has a beautiful and well-spoken little girl. My issue is when they get caught up with all the Jerry Springer-type drama that's going to be happening over the next few months: who controls the estate, who gets the kids, etc.

Actually, does anybody remember the weekend when Saddam Hussein was executed, and James Brown and a President (I can't remember if it was Ford or Reagan) had their funerals all at the same time? The folks at CNN were kind of hilarious, trying to jump around between all three stories.

[gremcint]

Hm, I think I know what you are talking about, but that is FAR different from MJ's death. It deserved/needed the amount of coverage it received. Just my two cents.

Anyhow, I will admit to getting a little teary eyed when I checked into the memorial in time to see Paris Jackson's little speech. Geez. Poor little girl.

it wasn't just it but everything that followed for months, it is a large news item and a horrible tragedy but I watch tv to escape, it would have been nice to have one channel where I could forget for a while.

Don't even get me started on the olympics.

[Damien]

The world does not revolve aound MJ's death - as Jester said, there is more news happening around the world.

I am joining the chorus in being sick to death of all the hooplah about someone's death.

[Broomjockey]

Whether or not I like the coverage itself, the point that has been made here by the OP and others is that the channels that allegedly report the news are reporting only one farkin' story. No other news.

Then turn it off. There are other sources of news. Newspapers, the internet, the radio. I can guarantee there is a source out there that isn't talking about his death. If you can't, welcome to the world of retail soundtracks. Also, I'm sorry, the sentiment "there's more important things happening" doesn't fly for me. It's right up there with "there's starving kids in Africa." The person saying it rarely gives a fig, they just want someone to agree with their point. And to expect the coverage to have ceased before his memorial? Ha. Fat chance. I'd like to live in your dream world.

Michael Jackson was important to a large number of people for various reasons. That means news coverage, same with anyone else deemed to have an impact on society. But I have to say, personally, I'm disappointed with anyone who's position is "I'm sick of hearing about MJ, and I'd like to get back to my life."

[Evil Queen]

Newspapers (well, the Albuquerque Journal) have stopped reporting Michael Jackson stuff. Read that.
Talk Radio, I think, got moved on to the fact that Gov. Palin is leaving office in Alaska and have run with that.
I'm sure there are better podcasts on the internet then news related ones.
Wasn't there as much coverage when Princess Diana died? Hell, there's still specials about her that come on the History and Discovery channel on occasion. Remember how sick of that everyone was? Yet no one's complaining about it anymore.

Here's something that will get your minds off of it: Michael Vick is returning to professional Football. Go have a hoopla over that.

Respect for the dead folks. Good or bad, Karma is still a bitch.

[sanchopanza65]

I tried to watch the funeral, but I just couldn't. It suffered from Opening Ceremony Syndrome, where you get all excited to watch something, and it feels like the whole world is watching it with you, and it turns out to just be really really boring. I did manage to catch the performances of We Are The World and Heal The World though. Those made me cry, because I really felt united with the rest of the country when they showed the people gathered in big public places all over joining in. I suppose, it was what "Hands Across America" was like, maybe. But now that the service is over, and it's been almost two weeks, can we move on with our lives?

[sms001]

I gotta go w/ BJ and EQ on this one. Whenever i see a major "story" looming, I stop watching tv. I get very little of my news there anyway and I know I'll be able to keep up whether I watch or not.
I would hope that most of us know that by the very nature of its economic model, television must appeal to the lowest common denominator. They can't NOT over cover these things.

[draggar]

Luckily things are slowing down a lot sooner than I expected. Sure, I don't mind seeing a blurb about nhim on news sites or a story about him, maybe even the occasional 60 minute special on him, but it seems that the past week everything has revolved aorund his death.

Today is the first day that CNN.com doesn't have a large section on their splash page about him. It is also the first day that my local paper's website doesn't have 2-3 stories about him on their splash page.

I don't know what channel my wife is watching but every few commercial breaks they come in with 'breaking news" about him and the fate of his body.

Yes, I am glad it is slowing down a lot faster than I expected. This year has been innundated with high profile deaths and while he may be the most popular (just in sheer numbers) - why is everyone dwelling on his death?

We've lost Farrah Fawcett - not only a talented actress but also an advocate for cancer *and* she is the subject of the best telling "pinup" poster EVER. Pic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fa...pinup_1976.jpg

(Work safe - she's in a red one piece bathing suit).

We've lost Dom DeLouise. A talented actor and was also well known for his cooking books. He never seemed to have an ego and was always willing to laugh at himself in a movie (Captain Chaos anyone?).

Ricardo Montelban - brought "Latin American" to our screens then co-starred in the most popular Star Trek Film (The Wrath of Khan).

[Pagan]

I am also quite bothered by that fact that the man has been dead for almost 2 weeks and they have yet to bury him. Are they planning on putting him on display somewhere because this is just getting to be rather gross.

You noticed that, too? I was actively avoiding the whole thing, but when flipping channels, I unavoidably came across it. I'm worried that they're going to do something like with Lenin.

Is Michael Jackson still dead?????

Along with Generalissimo Francisco Franco....

I watched some of the highlights of the memorial service. That was a mistake. I've had a lump in my throat for half an hour now from Paris remembering her dad. I don't like that feeling.

That's one that you can't avoid. And the little ones are the ones that I really feel for in all of this. Regardless of your feelings for the man, he was their father.

Newspapers (well, the Albuquerque Journal) have stopped reporting Michael Jackson stuff. Read that.

Yeah, that lasted, what, 2 days? And now were onto another one that they waste space on. Johnny Tapia's in jail....again.

[dendawg]

Along with Generalissimo Francisco Franco....

And Elvis, and Tupac, and.....

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I'm worried that they're going to do something like with Lenin.

I was thinking more along the lines of Ruhollah Khomeini.

[Jester]

Oh, and changing the channels at work isn't an option. My boss wants CNBC on all day, so there's not much we can do about that.

Luckily at The Bar most of our tv's are tuned to sports programming, either live games or ESPN or what have you. Occasionally we have CNN on one or two of them (or the Weather Channel if storms are causing us havoc), but the last couple weeks, for some reason, the tvs have had far less CNN.

Then turn it off. There are other sources of news. Newspapers, the internet, the radio. I can guarantee there is a source out there that isn't talking about his death. If you can't, welcome to the world of retail soundtracks.

There are very few sources of news that are (or now that the funeral is over, were) not saturating their news with either mostly MJ or entirely MJ programming. Soundtracks and music and movies are great, but still not a source for current news. Again, the argument being posted by several here was not that the news organizations should not be reporting on the MJ thing, but that they should not JUST be reporting on the MJ thing, to the exclusion of most or all other news.

Also, I'm sorry, the sentiment "there's more important things happening" doesn't fly for me.

We can sit here and debate whether there are or are not more important things than MJ's death and the various resulting situations and vigils. That would be a debate for fratching. The fact is, to some people, it is the most important thing, to others a very important thing, to still others a very unimportant thing.

But I think the original point, and certainly MY point, was not that I wanted to see "more important" news covered. It was, in fact that we wanted to see other events covered. You know, the other news in the world. And whatever you think about MJ, positively or negatively, there is no denying that there is always other news in the world. The economy, financial greed scandals, potential uprisings in other countries, terrorist actions, the goings on in Iraq and Afghanistan, what our new President is doing both abroad and on the home front; these and many more things happen that are newsworthy every single day. Michael Jackson dying does not in any way change the fact that these things are going on, nor, in my opinion, does it absolve organizations that refer to themselves as "news organizations" from the responsibility of covering the news, and not limiting themselves to one particular news item, no matter how large an icon or international legend that news item may be about.

And to expect the coverage to have ceased before his memorial? Ha. Fat chance. I'd like to live in your dream world.

I for one never expected that. I merely, and apparently naively, thought that in the week and a half between his death and his funeral that at least one of the alleged news organizations might actually cover some other item of, you know, news.

Michael Jackson was important to a large number of people for various reasons. That means news coverage, same with anyone else deemed to have an impact on society. But I have to say, personally, I'm disappointed with anyone who's position is "I'm sick of hearing about MJ, and I'd like to get back to my life."

Yes, he was important to many people. No one, I think, is arguing that he wasn't. But again, his death does not preclude the existence of other news going on in the world.

And while I personally am sick of hearing about him, my point was not that, but rather I'd like to be able to turn on a news channel and hear some news. Would that include Michael Jackson? Sure. Would that be JUST Michael Jackson? No. It would not.

Respect for the dead folks. Good or bad, Karma is still a bitch.

Karma is a bitch. I hope the media outlets that claim to cover news but resort to tabloid overcoverage when anything like this happens remember that.

[Andara Bledin]

How long do you figure it is before we get the first round of Michael Jackson sightings?
/tongue-in-cheek

What, you mean like this?
(link to a webcomic - safe for work)

I tried to watch the funeral, but I just couldn't. It suffered from Opening Ceremony Syndrome, where you get all excited to watch something, and it feels like the whole world is watching it with you, and it turns out to just be really really boring.

Have you ever attended a funeral? They are mostly long periods of interminably boring. One of the many reasons I have nothing to do with them.

But I think the original point, and certainly MY point, was not that I wanted to see "more important" news covered. It was, in fact that we wanted to see other events covered. You know, the other news in the world.

Television channels are about ratings and they do whatever they think will get them the most.

I'm fairly certain that with as large a fanbase as he had and with how many celebrity cultists are a part of the tv-watching crowd, that MJ news guaranteed high ratings, even if a chunk of viewers turned it all off every time it came up.

I never watch tv for news info for this very simple reason. I don't hit up major internet sites for tv news outlets, either. I either go straight to the news wires, or use Google to separate specific events, and I have a site specifically for local happenings.

TV news programs/stations are entertainment first, all in the name of ratings.

^-.-^