LUCIDMEDIA

Lucid Views – Michael Jackson: Let ‘This Is It’ be it

Written by Adam A. Donaldson Tuesday, 27 October 2009 09:22

Tuesday at midnight – Wednesday in other, not as lucky, places – the most talked about documentary of the year hits screens everywhere. And as much as the renewed popularity for the life and music of Michael Jackson following his death last June will drive ticket sales to undoubtedly astronomical heights, there is the small matter of the film’s title: This Is It.

On the one hand it could mean “This Is It?” as in, this is all we get from the highly vaunted, never before seen footage of Jackson’s final days rehearsing for what would have been a series of comeback performances in London? Or perhaps “This Is It” means this is the end of the communal mourning period, and that know Jackson, and the legend that is Jackson, can rest in piece.

If you believe that second one, of course, you’re a fool, and if you think that first will come to pass I should point out that it won’t matter a whit, just look at how sales of Jackson albums skyrocketed in the weeks after he died of cardiac arrest on June 25th. The fact of the matter is that the documentary is just named after Jackson’s sold-out 50 show run in England that was due to begin on July 13th.

But the name, which was surely chosen as some kind of declarative marking the definitive return of Jackson to the front of the pop music pack, has become something more of dare. This Is It will surely not be it for the exploitation of Jackson’s death, but it should be. Death hasn’t stopped other Hollywood luminaries from raking in the cash after their death. In fact many of them make better livings than most live celebrities. So why should this stop the Jackson estate from cashing in on Michael’s cashing out?

The truth is it hasn’t. The protracted shell game of Jackson’s burial was the first wave of publicity to crest the shore of grief-fuelled MJ adoration. The protracted debate between members of the Jackson family as to whether or not Michael was to be buried on the grounds his beloved Neverland estate seemed reality show-ready, a decision requiring the wisdom of Solomon, or Judge Joe Brown.

I’m not sure at one point members of the Jackson family reached a decision, but the fact they went along with signing on the dotted line for an A&E reality show “The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty” seemed like a foregone conclusion in hindsight. While ostensibly focusing on the ongoing adventures of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon, there was a sticky wicket involving their dear, departed brother: whether or not Michael’s three young children would appear along side their fame hungry extended family?
Can you think of another celebrity that so guarded his children’s identity from the unblinking eye of the paparazzi? Well it didn’t take too long after Michael’s death before they were exploited, trotted out in front of a full court press at the height of their feeding frenzy at the Michael Jackson Memorial Service on July 7th. What’s the old turn of phrase: “The body wasn’t even cold yet” and the kids were already being pushed centre stage. With some gentle prodding from Aunt Janet, Michael’s daughter Paris told the crowd of thousands that, “I just want to say that ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine ... and I just want to say that I love him so much...”

I know a lot of people shed a tear, and while Paris’ grief over her father’s passing was genuine, one can’t help but feel a hint of puppet mastery afoot here. The news that family members were trying to get the kids into the reality show business came as no surprise, but the eldest Jackson sibling, Rebbie, proved the most astute on the issue telling Us Weekly earlier this month that she "feels Michael would spin in his grave if he knew his kids would be on this show."
With 10 half-hour episodes to fill, possibly starting as early as this December, there’s a lot of exploiting to do. The quick crank out of this “limited time only” documentary followed by a tell all reality show along with what I presume will be a decade’s worth of “lost” material in the form of albums, books and other media output, and this will indeed be far from it for the legend of Michael Jackson.

Is wishing to leave the man in peace such a cultural faux-pas nowadays? And by saying that, it doesn’t mean that you don’t acknowledge Jackson as the tremendous entertainer that he was, or that he shouldn’t be honoured. But the post-mortem deification of Michael Jackson seems to have more to do with being the first to collect the all might dollar rather than honouring the King of Pop.