Backstage Pass

3:42 p.m.: They carry the casket out while "Man in the Mirror" plays.

3:40 p.m.: Paris Katharine Jackson: 'I just wanted to say ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. I just wanted to say I love him so much.'

3:33 p.m.: "Heal the World," with the family onstage. It's nice to know his kids know the words.

3:25 p.m.: "We Are the World"

3:18 p.m.: Shaheen Jafargholi, from "Britain's Got Talent," is knocking out "Who's Lovin' You"

3:15 p.m.: Smokey Robinson: 'That’s my little brother over there. You just don’t think you’ll live to see him gone. He will never really be gone. He is going to live forever and ever and ever and ever.'

3:08 p.m.: Usher sings Jackson's "Gone Too Soon," touching Jackson's casket and breaking down in tears.

3:00 p.m.: Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee takes a subtle swipe at Rep. Peter King's anti-Jackson comments. "We understand the Constitution. We understand laws."

2:54 p.m.: Martin Luther King III: 'Michael Jackson was truly the best of what he was.'

2:47 p.m.: Jermaine Jackson sings "Smile," the Charlie Chaplin song that was Michael Jackson's favorite.

2:39 p.m.: Brooke Shields: "To us, it was the most natural and easiest of friendships... We would have fun no matter where we were. We had a bond."

2:34 p.m.: John Mayer plays "Human Nature," letting his guitar play Jackson's vocal line

2:31 p.m.: Sharpton: "I want his children to know, there was nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what he had to deal with, but he dealt with it."

2:27 p.m.: The Rev. Al Sharpton: "It was that dream that changed culture all over the world... He opened up the music world. It was Michael Jackson that brought blacks and whites and Latinos and Asians together."

2:20 p.m.: Jennifer Hudson is belting out "Will You Be There"

2:09 p.m.: Stevie Wonder sings "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer."

2:02 p.m.: Berry Gordy gets a standing ovation after saying, "I feel the King of Pop is not big enough for him. I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that every lived."

PHOTO: Michael Jackson at his final tour rehearsal by Kevin Mazur of Getty Images.

Continue reading "Live-Blogging the Michael Jackson Memorial" »

Michael Jackson looked good and sounded strong in a video from rehearsals, two days before his sudden death on June 25, seeming to contradict the theory that the King of Pop was chronically ill and had been sickly for a while.

The video, released to CNN by AEG Live, the promoters behind Jackson’s scheduled comeback tour at London’s O2 Arena, does, however, seem to bolster the company’s claim that they have hundreds of hours of material from tour rehearsals that could be used as a concert DVD and live album.

In the nearly two-minute video, Jackson performs a highly choreographed routine to the end of “They Don’t Care About Us,” arguably the most controversial hit of his career, with a troupe of eight dancers. “They Don’t Care About Us,” from the 1995 hits collection “HIStory,” raised protests when it was initially released over what many considered anti-Semitic slurs, charges Jackson denied as a misinterpretation of a song about tolerance. After the uproar, Jackson returned to the studio and changed the offending words for a new version of the song that was used on all subsequent pressings of “HIStory.”

The song's original video below

Continue reading "VIDEO: Michael Jackson's final rehearsals" »

Janet Jackson's appearance at last night's BET Awards was simple and heartfelt, saying, "To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family, and he will forever live in all of our hearts. On behalf of my family and myself, Thank you for all of your love. Thank you for all of your support. We miss him so much.”

"Billie Jean" (Motown's 25th Anniversary, 1983): Jackson unveils The Moonwalk. 'Nuff said.

"Man in the Mirror" (1988 Grammys): The second half of this clip, where Jackson sings live and trades off with the choir, may be his most inspirational TV performance.

"I Want You Back"/"ABC" (The Ed Sullivan Show, 1970): Michael at his cute-dynamo best.

While we all try to absorb the complexities of Michael Jackson's death this afternoon, it seemed like a good time to consider him at what he did best. Here's a look at his Top 10 videos:

1. "Thriller"

2. "Beat It"

3. "Billie Jean"

4. "Scream"

5. "The Way You Make Me Feel"

Continue reading "R.I.P. Michael Jackson (1958-2009)" »

Public Enemy, "Fight the Power"

Yeah, it's been 20 years since Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing" turned pop culture upside-down, as fearmongers tried to scare people away from the movie's opening weekend, claiming that there would be widespread riots after people saw it. Oh right. Didn't happen. Don't believe the hype.

Spike Lee and the movie's cast -- Danny Aiello, Joie Lee and Rosie Perez -- as well as Common, DMC, Branford Marsalis, Gloria Reuben and others will be on hand Monday night at the DGA Theater in Manhattan for a special screening of the movie.

But that celebration means that it's the 20th anniversary of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" setting the music industry on edge as well, as soon as Chuck D. promised, "1989 -- the number, another summer, sound of the funky drummer!" Was the movie or the song more effective in the long-term at bringing attention to America's racial divide? It depends on whom you ask. All I know is that song was nearly everywhere I went in the summer of '89 from dance clubs and record stores to the streets of relatively white-bread suburban Cleveland, repeatedly spreading the word and making a mantra out of "Elvis was a hero to most..." among young folks of all races and classes. And "Fight the Power" still stirs things up internationally, whenever Public Enemy throws it down.

They deserve to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the strength of that song alone -- not to mention all the powerful work that came before and after.