Can Anyone Restrain Themselves?
It's been oodles of time since I posted, and I don't really have much to say today. I'm saddened by the passing of Farrah Fawcett, as no one should have to suffer such medical indignities - at any age, much less prior to 60 years old, as Ms. Fawcett was when she was first diagnosed. And, of course, the death of Michael Jackson is a tragic loss of enormous talent - talent that had been on display far too rarely in recent years.
But, beyond that, is there really much more to say? Perhaps. Perhaps cultural examinations are in order, by those qualified to make them. But, certainly, there are those who are saying far too much. Earlier today, The New York Times quoted Celine Dion as saying to CNN's Larry King, "It feels like when Kennedy died, when Elvis Presley died."
Putting aside comparisons of natural, accidental, or self-influenced deaths of pop stars to assassinations of political leaders (because that's not the primary point I'm interested in making today), Ms. Dion was born in 1968 -- five years after the murder of John Kennedy. If she was referring to Robert, she would have been all of two months old. How could this feel to her like something she never experienced? Really, couldn't those who've got nothing intelligent to say keep their mouths shut?
I'm going to close mine now.
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She possibly means either "It feels like [what I imagine it felt like] when Kennedy died, when Elvis Presley died" or "It feels like [what those who experienced it conveyed to me it felt like] when Kennedy died, when Elvis Presley died." She's commenting on two historical moments that we all share through a common tradition and didn't need to experience directly to be moved by. People who are touched by Michael Jackson's art two hundred years from now will be making the same sort of analogy with respect to the death of the Michael Jackson of their time and will probably be mocked by one trick ponies like you who have nothing better to do than to call a person using a creative analogy to express her grief over the death of her friend someone who's "got nothing intelligent to say." People in glass houses shouldn't cast stones, especially when they were the weakest link in what was otherwise one of the greatest HBO series of all time.
We don't share emotions through tradition, my friend. How I felt when I heard the announcement of JFK's death is a unique, uniquely personal feeling that you can no more "imagine" than I can imagine what it "felt like" to hear that Lincoln had been shot. Sure, we can all imagine that feeling, but the imagining is not the feeling, any more than a photo of an apple is edible. Celine Dion may know what it felt like when Michael Jackson died, but she can only guess at what we felt on that November day in 1963 when for many of us, the world changed for good. For her to assume that the feeling is the same says a great deal about her values, and not much else.
"Really, couldn't those who've got nothing intelligent to say keep their mouths shut?"
No. People are at their dopiest, shrillest, and most maudlin when a major celebrity dies--even if they were making fun of that celebrity just a few days ago.
Funny, but I was thinking of that earlier. Not what Celine Dion said but the fact that people born late 60s and later don't know what its like to have one of our contemporary legends die suddenly and tragically after a downward spiral that included aging and drug addiction. We might remember when they died but we probably didn't know their impact on the world. Now we know what that is like because we got to see a piece of MJs life and watch him age and fall from grace. Maybe that's what she intended to say and it took a wrong turn somewhere.
Don't really think this article is fair. I agree 100% that people who had previously forgotten all about Jackson are suddenly caring now. Michael Jackson is a pretty treasured figure nonetheless. He was one of the greatest performers of all time. I think most people genuinely were shocked by his death and found themselves scrambling around for answers. Digging into the music archives to find his beloved hits. We'd see this type of coverage with any celebrity. Michael certainly took the spotlight over Farrah but normally it's a ridiculously big media event when any celebrity dies. Blame the media publications such as this one for that type of CONSTANT harping. Celine Dion was probably asked what she thought and would come across very insensitive if she didn't say something. Little bit of overreacting on your part Handler. Loved you in TAPS by the way. You are adorable but probably shouldn't have come out of the woodwork for this topic of all things.
People tend to romantize someone who has passed, oh he was such a great father...o
Amen.
I bet 80% of the weepers right now haven't spared a moment's thought for Michael Jackson in years, if ever.
This is group hysteria and blind celebrity worship.
Great performer, interesting musically, did a lot of weird stuff, and made a ton of bad choices.
RIP.
It's funny how death transforms people from "washed up freaks" to legends. A while back people were mocking Farrah because they thought she hadn't aged well and was on drugs after her appearence on David Letterman. Michael Jackson,who obviously had many problems was ridiculed on a regular basis on talk shows and in print. I understand that his odd behavior was not easy to overlook but don't make him a saint now that he's gone. Evan Handler is right. Celine Dion sounded like a complete fool discussing Michael Jackson. Cher was interviewed after her and she made many good points about the troubled singer and his extraordinary talent and how his life took a strange path from the sweet boy that he once was.
I actually heard Liza Minelli say something intelligent last night. She said after we find out about his personal drug addiction and other personal problems, once that is blown wide open, "all hell is going to break loose, so we'd better praise him now."
True.
And who would know better than someone who doubtless witnessed it firsthand when her mother died?
I'm sure a lot of nasty stuff is going to be revealed now, to add to the strange, strange story of Michael Jackson, but he was a brilliant performer who will have a lasting influence on pop music.
I'm trying hard to remember the Michael Jackson of about 1984.
Liza never said "we'd better praise him now" she was mentioning all the "hell that was going to break loose" because of the number of "enablers" he had. Chances are, they will never get punished or scorned. There are thousands of enables in the Entertainment Industry. It attracts geniuses and bad people. Michael Jackson was a genius.
Why are we still praising dead John Lennon, dead Elvis and dead Shakespeare? when their personal problems, lies, bad addiction like to heroin, drugs and lack of commitments made them very bad boys.
I can see the connection with Elvis and John Lennon, but how did Shakespeare enter the mix? If your criteria for them being "bad boys" is drug use and lack of commitment, then all you've got on Shakespeare is his leaving Anne Hathaway in Stratford while he worked in London. And now look what you've done! You've made me confuse all the twenty year olds who are thinking Shakespeare is dating the girl with the big smile who was on Craig Ferguson the other week.
Oh please. You know perfectly well what she meant. Did you really need to apply the scientific method to analyze that one, Mr. Handler? I mean, people still haven't figured out what Einstein was thinking when he published his treatise on special relativity in 1905, but in the meantime you seem to have added much value to the world's intellectual integrity by pointing out the logical flaw in Celine Dion's statement. I congratulate you on your masterful work.
LOL!!!!!
Also, everyone has something great to say when a person has died. If he were still
alive, would Celine Dion, or Beyonce, or others who are praising him now be willing
to share a stage with him?
Michael tributes are befitting in an era of 500+ channels. I do not understand the popularity of reality television. And that permeates our airwaves.
So for this weekend, if we have his music videos in constant rotation and the more vulnerable side of his personality to contemplate, then I welcome it.
You do have a choice....
Well stated!! ...but get used to it, because it's going to get 24/7 play for quite some time.
...and for Gov Sanford, the Iranian mullahs and every one else seeking a major-media-story distraction - their prayers have been answered - BIG TIME!
I expect Arsenio Hall to comment on how Michael influenced his meteoric rise to fame very very soon. I understand his impact on music, TV, and Pop culture, but to devote days and days of coverage to his passing is over the top.
I'm guessing, but is it possible she could have been referring to JFK Jr. who died in a plane crash with his wife and sister-in-law?
no, it's not.
By the way as Canadian from Quebec I like to say we denounce and reject anything Celine Dion might say, do, or sing for that matter! You made her a star you own it America!
No no, not me. I was absent at that meeting!
lol - I'll bet you do! Yep, it's all our fault. We're the ones that inflated her head up. Sorry about that.
can't blame me, I voted for Bob and Doug McKenzie, eh...
lolll She was born in 68 and she remember the death of JFK in 63! lolll
Evan, I also adored your Sex&TheCity character, and find this posting at odds with the normally kind man you seem to be in articles or interviews.
Ms. Dion is speaking of the infrequent (thankfully) moments of sadness that seem to engulf the world. Sometimes is appropriate response to an event (9-11, either Kennedy being killed), and sometimes simply because an entertainment figure is so well known, and so intertwined in our lives that everyone relates occurrences in their lives to the deceased (Elvis, Lennon, and now, Jackson). While not living through all of them, Ms. Dion has heard about these occurrences many times (like all of us have), and is probably referring to this wierd, other-worldly fixation over an event that doesn't really affect us except for our emotions.
Not kind.
"Evan, I also adored your Sex &TheCity character, and find this posting at odds with the normally kind man you seem to be in articles or interviews. "
You should watch "Californication", that ought to give you some perspective : )
Somewhere on the feel-good spectrum between Princess Di and Phil Spector we find Michael Joseph Jackson, an artist who peaked like no other a quarter-century ago yet managed to undo nearly all the good will he developed during those peak years, mainly through self-inflicted [and rather gross] errors of judgement. The news coverage of the gloved one's untimely demise is, as the Brits would say, OTT. You would think from Thursday’s Cable "News" coverage that masses of people were running into the streets for a round of self-flagellation.
At the very same time, there is an actual, real live revolution going on in Iran.
Perspective, please!
With someone as big as Michael Jackson, his songs have been the soundtrack of many of our lives. I still remember seeing little Michael when I was a kid, and enjoying Ben and ABC. I later remember hearing "Billie Jean." And, then there was "I'm looking at the man in the mirror." Some of it was schlocky, I know, but it also stood for some values that we could stand to learn from. "Does matter if she's black or white" was a new idea, for example, but we were too busy dancing to reflect on it. That doesn't mean his music didn't help to change us.
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