O'Reilly Tells Blacks Whom To Iconize?

Bill O'Reilly has always had a very rocky relationship with the Black community, constantly criticizing hip-hop music, affirmitive action, and those that combat racial injustice such as the Jena 6 and other issues. Now Bill O'Reilly is attacking Michael Jackson's iconic status in the African-American community, trying to say since Michael Jackson bleeched his skin and had white children, that blacks should turn their back on MJ just as MJ turned his back on them. 

1) O'Reilly and others attacking the MJ coverage claim Michael Jackson was just a great entertainer. They're specifically choosing to ignore all the charity work Michael Jackson did. Besides songs like "We Are The World" whose profits went to feed hungry African children,  MJ is in the Guiness Book of Records for being the most charitable pop-star ever. O'Reilly himself goes on to say MJ was selfish, making tons of money and spending it lavishly on himself, again choosing to ignore that MJ gave 20% of his income to charities, and even allocated more money to charity in his will.

2) Bill says black people shouldn't iconize MJ because he bleeched his skin and had white children, claiming Revereand Al Sharpton's speech made MJ seem like Martin Luther King. As Marc Lamont Hill pointed out, it is a fact that MJ broke the racial barrier for outlets like MTV and Rolling Stone. Why should we negate these achievements because of MJ's personal issues with being black, ones which he never vocalized, purposely called attention to, or even completely understood? Let us not also forget, Martin Luther King has problems cheating on his wife with white women. Does that mean King is no longer a revolutionary? Personal issues do not negate great achievements.

3) Bill O'Reily refuses to acknowledge his hypocrisy in stating celebrities should be mourned after they pass and not critisized, but not following the same protocol for MJ. He says it's apples and oranges. He's right, white apples and black oranges, proving Hill's point. 

4) Many believe there is a racial component due to the blatant hypocrisy. When Heath Ledger died, no one harped on his drug addiction. Same with Elvis Presley. His drug addictions was basically ignored as the masses garned him a icon. As with the death of John Lennon and the Beatles openly advocated drug use, even releasing songs about it. Same with Frank Sinatri, whom had financial ties to the mafia. Yet, when these "legends" die, everyone speaks good about them choosing to ignore their faults and controversies for the sake of mourning. But Michael Jackson gets no such privilege. 

5) As soon as MJ died, the media ran pieces on the trajectory of MJ from superstar to "bizarre tragedy". Yet they refuse to acknowledge their involvement in MJ's troubled past, with their constant, relentless, negative coverage of him. Nor did they discuss the domestic abuse he faced as a child, or the fact that he had to be a grown at the age of 5 forcing him to recapture his adolescence as an adult. The media is only interested in one biased view of Michael Jackson, when the story is much more complex.

6) Many are criticizing the excessive news coverage of MJ. While I do agree, it is excessive, but the counterpoint to that is his Memorial Service was watched by close to one billion people worldwide. That's 1/7th of every living human person. One of the media's responsibility is to cover topics in the public's interest. Michael Jackson death is of public interest so much, that 1/7th of the world's population watched his memorial service. 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but those attacking MJ in his death never really use any facts. He was acquitted of molestation charges and the autopsy hasn't even been released yet. Until it is, all comments on MJ dying of a drug overdose is speculation. The media and notable public figures refuse to give MJ the same respect they would give other "white" deceased legends, and defend themselves by bringing up issues in Michael Jackson's past like the charges and his skin changes which have never been confirmed. I don't want to call it racist, but I'm having a hard time finding a reason for all the hatred for a superstar who was beloved by many. 

2009 B.E.T. Awards

The jury is out at whether or not "Skank Robbers" would be a good thing. On one hand, it is more tom-foolery, but on the other hand it's tom-foolery at its finest. Soul Plane if they had stepped up their game. Due to everyone's shocked reaction, I wouldn't be suprised if this becomes a reality. And Foxx's Wanda had the best line of the night. "I know it's Chris Brown's baby. He keeps kickin me."

After news of Michael Jackson's death, the B.E.T. Awards became a tribute show to Michael Jackson. They did their best with only 3 days preparation time, but I do think MJ deserved more than two mediocre performances from New Edition and Ciara, a crappy Keri Hilson dance, and a failed Jamie Foxx moonwalk attempt. Neyo did it right though as well as Jamie Foxx in the end. All the MJ testimonies were nice. I was disappointed that Beyonce didn't do more. If she did it up, she could have made a huge statement.

The BET Awards also give out Best Actor and Actress of the year. With all the hooplah, Best Actor was completely ignored. Yet, I'm guessing it went to Idris Elba since he was the only nominee in attendance and had the latest film out with Obsessed (other than Common in ill-fated Terminator Salvation but let's all do him a favor and forget about that). Best Actress went to Taraji P. Henson. She attributed all her young fans to BET's constant rotation of Baby Boy.  I'm happy for Taraji, but I wish more people in the black community would acknowledge Viola Davis' amazing performance in Doubt. She wasn't even nominated despite having a better chance than Taraji at winning the Oscar. Oh, Taraji and Tyrese recreated the Baby Boy drama on stage later, which got ruined by Vingh Rhames pretending to be drunk (I hope he was pretending cause that would a damn shame). 

Overall, I think the awards show did black people proud as best as a Viacom owned TV channel serving black people could. The O'Jays tribute was classy as well as many of the performances. The only embarrassing performances were from Soulja Boy and Lil Wayne/Drake (but what else is new). My favorite performances were Jay-Z, Ne-yo, Jamie Foxx, The O'Jays, and Monica's half of her duet with Keyshia Cole. 

Although it wasn't the Michael Jackson all-out tribute I wanted, I thank B.E.T. for doing their best. Here's to hoping the Apollo show kills it. Michael Jackson, now and forever. 

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

Words cannot express what the world loss today. Its sad when anybody dies, but Michael Jackson was such a big part of my childhood along with countless others, and such a big influence to many artists, ranging from music to film to dance to fashion. He was truly revolutionary and to say goodbye is hard. 

                                          

Dancers and musicians may have a different perspective, but I, as a filmmaker view Michael Jackson as a revolutionary. Songs have always told stories, but no one ever thought they could to the same degree as a film until Michael Jackson. He bridged the gap between music and film and truly made music videos an artform. He did everything to the highest degree and made everyone step up there game. 

As a minority, he proved the glass ceiling can be shattered. Yes, blacks have always been a staple in the entertainment industry but very few can call themselves legends, especially on par with The Beetles and Elvis Presley. Say what you want about his legal trouble and his controversies, but you can't take anything away from the legacy of his art. Our kids will learn about Michael Jackson and wish they lived in a time where they could appreciate him as we did.

MICHAEL JACKSON R.I.P.