A weekend of Michael Jackson TV programming
MTV is the place be Friday night if you are looking to make a TV connection to feelings of loss for Michael Jackson. Since the announcement of the singer's death on Thursday, the one-time music video powerhouse has been using its vast archive of Jackson music videos to create a profoudn Tv space of mourning and celebration. Read my review here.
But the Jackson beat will continue throughout the weekend on many channels and networks.
Here are some of the highlights and potential lowlights. That's the way it is with popular culture at moments like this -- not all of it is great.
Friday night at 8, TV one shows Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration produced by David Gest. It will replay at 11 p.m.
Friday night at 10, NBC will replay Michael Jackson: King of Pop, the Dateline special it aired Thursday.
Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m., 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., CNN will offer a its documentary, Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror, with Don Lemon as correspondent.
Saturday at noon and 5 p.m. TV One continues its coverage with The Jacksons: An American Dream, a five-hour ABC miniseries produced by Jermaine Jackson and Suzanne DePasse. A warning: This is the one that depicts Michael as a small child talking to a rat. I'm not kidding. I panned this miniseries when it premiered in 1992. It includes some of the worst sins of the docu-drama genre. Still, if you can't get enough Michael...
TV Land will be showing the same miniseries Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m..Sunday night at 7, TV one will counter with The Life and Times of Michael Jackson, a one-hour documentary produced by the TV Guide Channel.
Monday night at 8, Fox will show a replay of the American Idol performance show that was Michael Jackson-themed.
VH1 will air a music video tribute to Jackson throughout the weekend until midnight Sunday.
Comments
Thanks for the info. VH1 has been really good.
Posted by: NotableM | June 26, 2009 8:25 PM
The song "Ben" is about him and a rat. Anyone know if there is there a connection between the song and the "Jacksons" miniseries? Did Michael actually befriend a rat when he was young? If anyone is intersted in Michael and they haven't heard the song, I highly recommend it. I listened to it for the first time last night and after hearing people who knew him say on TV last night that he was tremendously lonely, the song, even though he sang it as a boy, made perfect sense. Aren't people who are tremendously gifted also often "cursed" by their gift? Michael was human through and through. So wonderful and also so flawed.
Posted by: gooooteam | June 26, 2009 9:30 PM
Michael Jackson was a very good singer and I loved all his music.
I wish I could have met him in person.
I would have loved to shake is hand.
I will mist him very much.Rest in peace Michael.
Posted by: runescape money | June 27, 2009 3:34 AM
Ben was a rat based on a movie about a killer rat . The movie was called BEN. Michael Jackson merely sang the theme song.
Posted by: Lindy KIng | June 28, 2009 5:17 PM
Never heard the song Ben, but yes Michael Jackson seemed like he was a lonely person. He seems like he was particularly haunted by unkind words written in tabloids. It would be a curse to have the whole world watching you in my opinion. Some people say he was a genius in his musical talent and dance talent.
Posted by: Sherry T. | June 28, 2009 10:59 PM
The WORLD loved and loves you Michael Jackson! We will be forever grateful for being blessed to live in a world where you continued to share your musical genius and your kindness, your kindness (I repeat) to the world. Your music will LIVE... your fans will make sure of that.
Thank you! God Bless You!
Posted by: change | June 29, 2009 11:27 AM
Michael was a pure childlike man. Sadly no one understood him. By dying at the age of 50, he has been immortalised. People will forever remember him. Me and my family are mourning for him and the more we read about him, the more we need to know about him. He is in a great place now. R.I.P. lovely Michael.
Posted by: yvette | July 2, 2009 9:39 AM