Last weekend, MTV held their annual, controversial VMA ceremony. The beginning of the show was dedicated to Michael. Ok, nothing strange there. The show began with a speech by Madonna. I will admit, I loved the speech. I understand she wasn't the best of friends with Michael, but because of the similar backgrounds and success, it was easy for them to understand each other. I loved what she said. I'm not sure if it was her idea to do it, but she stated things that it seems other people had been too chicken to say all this time. We gave up on Michael when he needed us most. It wasn't he fault. I'll post a link to the speech below.
The speech was followed with a performance by a slew of dancers in Michael era-ish gear, dancing to Thriller, Bad, and Smooth Criminal. Then the highlight of the Tribute. Janet actually preformed to a recording of Scream, with Michael dancing on the screen in the back. Very touching and I'm sure it was supremely difficult for Janet to do the performance. Her and Michael had never actually preformed the song together while he was alive.
At the end of her performance, the host for the night asked the audience to remember Michael for the evening and keep his sense of loving one another in their hearts. If you watched the show, you know how long that lasted....
Now, on to BET. 3, count them, 3 days after Michael died BET held their award show for the summer. In those 3 days they completely revamped the entire show. When it aired LIVE the show completely revolved around the King of Pop. Celebrities wore Michael inspired fashion and all performances were Michael based. It was a night to completely celebrate the man who re-shaped the music world.
I understand that BET is BLACK Entertainment Television, and that Michael and the TV network both identify with black audiences, so naturally they would want to celebrate such an influential man, right? Ok, here's my squabble with the whole situation: Michael MADE MTV! He absolutely revamped the TV station as a 20-something year old young man. Through MTV he introduced music videos to the world. MTV would NOT be around today without the success they received in their early years due to MJ success!!! So....why was MTV's tribute so lousy compared to BETs? That is the question of the hour. In recent years, MTV was on of the people that Madonna mentioned in her speech, possibly one of the biggest contributors. They GAVE UP on Michael in the later years of his career. There were times when they even condemned him, which they had no right to do. It seemed the late 90s and early 00s MTV forgot who made them popular and decided to put out the vibe that he was all the sudden uncool. Thanks, MTV, thanks so much!!!!! Your tribute means so much! If it were possible to flip MTV off I would do it. Their bigger goal was to cash in on Michael's death, and it was lame. The only reason I'll still show some love is because I know it took courage for Janet to do what she did. I bet she would have done it for BET before MTV though...if only BETs award show wouldn't have been so soon after his death.
So in conclusion: MTV never loved Michael. F*** you, MTV. Wonder where you'd be without him???
Here's Madonna's Speech:
Madonna Pays Tribute to Michael Jackson: "The all-star entertainer shares some poignant memories about Michael Jackson, and introduces a special performance tribute to the King of Pop. (2009 MTV Video Music Awards)"
Janet's Tribute to her brother. Thank you, Janet. Your courage and love is all too apparent. We love you.
Michael Jackson Tribute: "The spectacular opening of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards pays tribute to legendary entertainment icon Michael Jackson with a special appearance by his sister, Janet Jackson. (2009 MTV Video Music Awards)"
