Cashing In On A Nightmare

As the world knows, yesterday we lost two pop icons that will be sorely missed - Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. I'm not writing to extol their many talents and virtues, I just have to vent on the media circus, the ringleader being TMZ.

I check their site from time to time to get fodder for my blog (see Phil Spector's Undead Lineage below), and they do have some interesting stuff. But oh my God the crap on Michael Jackson that is flowing off their pages is unbelievable. It's like the RSS feed from hell - here's the rundown ala TMZ (and watch the time stamps - insane):

4:30 PM - Michael Jackson -- Cardiac Arrest
5:20 PM - Michael Jackson Dies
6:00 PM - Michael Jackson's Doc Speaks on Death
6:10 PM - Mother of Jackson's Kids Reacts
6:15 PM - Al Sharpton -- Pray for Jacko - Give me a break...
6:17 PM - The Hulk in Shock Over Jacko's Death - Lou Ferrigno???
6:20 PM - Quincy Jones -- I've Lost My Little Brother
6:20 PM - Recording Academy on MJ -- 'True Musical Icon'
5:25 PM - Jacko's Ex Publicist Goes Off on Michael - Nice...
6:27 PM - Tito Filled With Regret
6:30 PM - Jacko's Mom Arrives at Hospital - Still calling him "Jacko"???
6:37 PM - Elton John Sings for Michael Jackson - If Elton's involved, we better start calling him Michael I guess...
6:45 PM - La Toya Races to Her Brother's Side
7:11 PM - Jacko's Death Grinds the Internet to a Halt - Um, I'm pretty sure I had access last night...
7:13 PM - Michael Jackson Dies -- Celebs Go to Twitter
7:15 PM - People Paying Homage to Wrong Star- Don't ask...
7:30 PM - Michael Jackson's Autopsy Expedited - Corpse watch begins.
7:33 PM - Corey Feldman -- Jackson Was My 'Idol' - OMG who cares!
7:35 PM - Jackson Danced and Sang Last Night
8:46 PM - Liz Taylor -- 'Too Devastated' to Comment
9:15 PM - John Landis Calls the Man He Sued 'Tragic' - Whatever dude.
9:30 PM - Van Halen Heartbroken Over Jackson
9:31 PM - Michael Jackson's Body Transported - Corpse watch continues.
9:33 PM - Jermaine -- They Tried to Revive for an Hour
9:34 PM - Michael Jackson -- Remember the Time....
9:45 PM - Jackson's Body Arrives at Coroner's Office - More corpse watch.
10:20 PM - La Toya and Katherine Jackson -- Faces of Pain - Real nice.
10:21 PM - Justin Timberlake -- 'We Have Lost a Genius'
10:22 PM - Flavor Flav Told to Beat It - See below (hehehe)
10:23 PM - Madonna 'Can't Stop Crying' Over Jackson
3:00 AM - Fans Pay Their Respects at MJ's First Home
4:00 AM - Corey Feldman: Man in the Mirror
Paying homage to his childhood pal, Corey Feldman showed up in classic Michael Jackson garb to "Larry King Live" on Thursday. What a douche bag.
8:05 AM - Starline Tourists See Jackson Drama Unfold
A bus full of tourists thought they were driving up a fancy street to look at Michael Jackson's front gate. Instead, they witnessed the last moments of Michael Jackson's life. Nice, huh.
8:54 AM - Jackson's Death -- Demerol OD? - And so it begins...
9:09 AM - Jackson Family Feared Morphine OD
9:56 AM - Jackson Family -- Demerol Shot Caused Death
9:58 AM - Diana Ross -- 'My Heart is Hurting'
10:00 AM - Michael Jackson Doctor -- MIA
10:07 AM - Michael Jackson's Autopsy Has Begun - For God's sake...
11:52 AM - Debbie Rowe - She Gets Custody if She Wants - If she wants?
12:30 PM - Jackson's Missing Doctor ID'd - Get the pitchforks!!!
12:34 PM - Lisa Marie: Michael Said He'd End up Like Elvis - Whatever...
12:45 PM - Emergency Workers Felt Jackson Dead at Scene
1:27 PM - Janet Jackson Arrives in L.A.
2:00 PM - Jackson's Missing Doc To Speak with Cops
2:07 PM - Michael Jackson -- The 911 Call - Listen to the agony!!!

They now are waiting to live stream video from a press conference being held by the LA Country Coroner. Corey Feldman, Lou Ferrigno, Al Sharpton? Really? Though I do think it was hilarious that Flavor Flav was sent packing in front of all the reporters (hehe).

Obviously, this amount of pointless, irrelevant coverage is ridiculous. What I found more horrific are the photos TMZ is posting with each one of these gems. For instance, LaToya Jackson running for the emergency room doors - they not only showed the wide angle shot, but showed it along side a zoom shot of this poor woman's face trying to see exactly how devastated she was.

As far as the pictures of Michael, it's like they made it their mission to find the freakiest looking pics they could possibly find (with very poor resolution I might add). Ugh - give the guy a break. They actually have several pictures of Michael's body being unloaded from the helicopter. Unbelievable.

I also find it interesting how these headlines are developing. They didn't even start using his real name until this morning, option to use "Jacko", a shortened version of "Wacko Jacko", a not-so-nice nickname given to him by the media. And already with the drug allegations. It hasn't even been 24 hours since the man died.

It also saddens me that this whole bizarre spectacle is completely overshadowing the death of Farrah Fawcett, which needs to be recognized. She fought so hard for so long, even documenting her battle for the world to see - no holds barred. Today, it's like "Farrah who?".

I know Michael Jackson was a controversial, to say the least, public figure. But seriously guys, this is ridiculous.