King of Pop Michael Jackson gets royal send off

LOS ANGELES - From the fleet of Bentley limousines that transported his family, to the endlessly fawning comments of television anchors throughout the blanket coverage, Michael Jackson, the late King of Pop, got a send-off Tuesday that was fit for royalty.

As the 30-vehicle convoy left the Forest Lawns Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, it drove past dozens of broadcast trucks, with several news helicopters buzzing overhead. Police closed the 101 Freeway to allow the procession easy passage to the public memorial in downtown Los Angeles. Traffic in the opposite direction also slowed to a virtual standstill as commuters halted their journey to catch a glimpse of the hearse.

As the procession drew up to the Staples Centre a high-flying plane drew a huge heart in the blue Los Angeles sky, while fans screamed, “We love Michael!” TV crews were set up on dozens of large podiums close to the entrance, as the country’s most distinguished news anchors, from Katie Couric to Brian Williams, led the coverage.

“We made so many sacrifices to see him one last time. We sold everything we had in our house,” said one fan, who journeyed for three days on buses from South Carolina to southern California to attend the memorial, even though she had no ticket.

Inside the arena, a large royal blue stage was erected at a basketball court that usually plays host to the Los Angeles Lakers. The backdrop featured a photo of a smiling Jackson looking up towards the sky and the words: “In loving memory of Michael Jackson King of Pop. 1958-2009.”

A lavish gold-coloured programme featured pictures of Jackson with presidents, political leaders and showbiz stars, and tributes from his family and friends.

The elaborate service began with Smokey Robinson reading tribute letters from the likes of Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela. The backdrop then changed to an image of stained glass windows as Jackson’s casket, laden high with flowers, was wheeled in. His pallbearers were each wearing a single, sequined glove in a tribute to one of Jackson’s signature styles, as a gospel choir sang.

The elite of pop music performed tributes for Jackson, from Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder to John Mayer and Usher.

“The title King of Pop is not big enough for him,” said Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown who discovered Jackson and guided his early career. “I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived.”

But for some in the entertainment world, the endless fawning and hagiography was a little much. Media columnist Brian Lowry could barely wait for the event to end as he blogged it live for entertainment trade paper Variety. He juxtaposed the reverential tones with the bizarre behaviour that Jackson often displayed and which “makes the worshipful tone characterizing much of this coverage even more questionable.”

African American activist Al Sharpton, in his eulogy for Jackson, tried to explain the pop star’s mass appeal. “You would have to understand the journey of Michael to understand what he means to us,” said Sharpton.

“When Michael started it was a different world but because he kept going, because he refused to let other people decide his boundaries, he opened up the whole world. It was Michael Jackson who brought blacks and whites and Asians and Latinos together. It was MJ who made us say ‘We Are The World’ and ‘Feed the Hungry’.”

Only one reader of Variety, commonly regarded as the Bible of the US entertainment industry, bothered to post a comment - and he obviously did not agree with Sharpton. “A grotesque and vulgar display,” noted reader Jack Henry of the ceremony. “The US is not only financially bankrupt, but morally and culturally bankrupt as well. God help us.”