Friday, June 26, 2009

Michael Jackson was the Jackie Robinson of MTV
Jackson's "Billie Jean" video opened the door for black artists at MTV. As David Vigilante notes, "When MTV launched in 1981, it modeled its playlist on the popular album-oriented rock radio format of the day, which meant that music by black artists was effectively excluded from the network. You might see the occasional Jimi Hendrix clip, but there was no room for funk, disco, R&B or that new emerging form -- rap. It wasn't long before the public took note of the glaring absence of African-American artists." But Jackson changed all that, he says. "Jackson opened the door with the video for 'Billie Jean,' which was simply too good for its time to be overlooked."
It was actually "Thriller" that broke the MTV color barrier // MJ's music videos
TMZ trumps TV // It was a "Night of Heartbreak" on primetime last night
BET Awards dedicated to Jackson // MTV's MJ marathon to end at 8 PM ET today
Jackson + HBO = A 1995 recipe for disaster // Emmanuel Lewis "devastated"
"The View" was pre-taped, so there was no Jackson discussion on Friday
Nigel Lythgoe urges Paula Abdul to choreograph a "SYTYCD" Jackson tribute
TV Land will air 5-part "The Jacksons: An American Dream" on Sunday
Jackson's higest-rated TV events: 62 million watched Oprah interview him

Here's a rundown of Farrah & Michael specials
From "Chasing Farrah" to "American Idol."


Jimmy Kimmel was the only late-night host to mention Jackson's death
Sure, the news was too late for the East Coast talk shows. But Jackson's death was revealed several hours before Conan O'Brien and Craig Ferguson began taping.



Thursday, June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson was the 1st pop star with a TV-shaped career
From Jackson's first appearance on TV in 1969 through the present day, Robert Lloyds says, "Michael Jackson was the first great pop star whose career was shaped by television -- not merely showcased by it, like those of Elvis Presley and the Beatles, but inseparable from the medium. He was indebted to it and influenced it in turn. Across his four-decade career, he was often someone to listen to, but he was always -- for better and sometimes for worse -- something to see."
Remembering Jackson on TV: From "We are the World" to E!'s reenactments
"Nightline's" Martin Bashir reflects on his Jackson interviews
VH1 Classic to air non-stop Jackson videos Friday through Sunday

Michael Jackson dies: TV networks scramble to pay tribute
CBS, NBC and ABC will all pay tribute to the King of Pop, who died this afternoon of a heart attack at the age of 50. ABC and NBC, both of which had been planning to celebrate Farrah Fawcett's life at 10 o'clock with a one-hour special, will expand their coverage with dueling Jackson specials at 9 o'clock. CBS will air its tribute to Jackson at 10 o'clock using footage from its coverage of Jackson's concert a few years back.
Jacko's death forcing MTV to return to its music roots // His music video legacy
Watch Michael Jackson and Ed McMahon on "The Jacksons Variety Show" (1976)
Jackson was King of TV ads // It's true: Celebrities die in threes
Watch The Jackson 5's 1st performance on "American Bandstand"
Jackson's Walk of Fame star can't be seen thanks to "Bruno"
"Britain's Got Talent" had Muslim Jackos // "Big Brother UK" did a "Thriller" task
Watch Martin Bashir's 2003 documentary "Living with Michael Jackson"
Fox to re-air "American Idol's" Jackson theme night next week

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