Here is an actual headline from the front page of alleged news organization CNN.com: “Psychics see magic in Michael Jackson’s life.” Slow news day, guys? (CNN)
Poor Mayor-for-Life Marion Barry can’t catch a break. Fresh off the dismissal of his stalking charge, the DC City Council is investigating Barry for awarding a $60,000 contract to his then-girlfriend, the woman he wasn’t stalking. (Washington Post)
Your United States military is filled with all kinds of racists and neo-Nazis (PDF), but, um, good thing all the gays get kicked out! Wouldn’t want our soldiers to feel uncomfortable around other soldiers. (Southern Poverty Law Center)
Sen. Tom Coburn will never tell us what he said to John Ensign about Ensign’s affair, except he already has. (Roll Call/Politico, via DKos)
Visitors to DC, it is totally reasonable to confuse the Capitol with the White House, what with both of them having giant frickin’ domes on top of them.(Spotted: DC Summer Interns)
Poor Michael Jackson! Your House of Representatives will not vote on a resolution honoring him because there are too may “contrary views.” Too bad, because it’s not like they have anything important to do, right? (CNN)
Sen. Al Franken is meeting with Sonia Sotomayor to exchange humorous race-jokes about white people. (Minnesota Public Radio)
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan will not run against America’s Senator™ Roland Burris. She will also not run for governor, because being Governor of Illinois is like asking for an indictment. (MSNBC)
The City of Los Angeles, which is located in our national poorhouse (California), would appreciate donations to cover the costs of Michael Jackson’s funeral. (Entertainment Weekly)
Republicans just love a quitter, which is why Sarah Palin’s resignation has actually boosted her support among Republicans. Kinda makes sense, since George W. Bush basically quit the Iraq War in 2003, after we “won.” (ABC News)
Okay, So There Is No Federal Investigation of Sarah Palin
The FBI says that Sarah Palin is not under investigation and anyone who says otherwise will be shot with a moose gun, legal style. She is, however, the subject of many costly state ethics investigations–because not being under investigation is “politics as usual” and she is a maverick–so there’s one reason why she may be resigning. (CNN/New York Times)
Sen. Chris Dodd and the Democratic leadership want to know just who this Barack Obama character thinks he is, wanting his health care bill by October 15. That is obviously not going to happen because of, um, Sonia Sotomayor, somehow. (Roll Call)
I hope Republicans appreciate that they have an entire television channel, FOX News, which lets them go on America’s teevees and just make shit up–like, for example, allowing John Boehner to say that there have been no stimulus-funded proejcts in Ohio when there have actually been $83 million worth of stimulus projects in Ohio. (Media Matters)
Your President Obama is headed to Russia today to talk about the good old days (Socialism) and maybe eliminate some nuclear weapons while he’s there. But then what will we nuke Iran with? (Washington Post)
Michael Jackson fans, here is a convenient list of people you can beat up and steal Michael Jackson funeral tickets from. (Los Angeles Times)
Michael Jackson, one of the most talented and eccentric performers in pop history, died of apparent cardiac arrest at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles at 2:26 p.m. PT today, June 25th. According to reports, he collapsed in his Los Angeles-area home and paramedics arriving on the scene found the superstar with no pulse; he was immediately rushed to the hospital. Although confusion about his status lingered (a spokesman for Sony Music, Jackson’s one-time home, said he was just hearing “rumors” at 3:20 p.m. PT), Jackson was reportedly in a coma, and his death was confirmed just before 3:30 p.m. PT.
Jackson’s health, which has been the source of speculation for nearly two decades, had recently returned to the headlines. Next month, Jackson was set to start a series of 50 sold-out concerts at London’s O2 arena, but the singer postponed the first four shows of the “This Is It!” run in May and had reportedly not shown up for some rehearsals.
Over the course of a career that started 40 years ago, with the Jackson 5’s first hit, 1969’s “I Want You Back,” Jackson was a towering and constantly enigmatic presence in pop music — a giant on the level of Presley, Sinatra and Dylan. He set an almost impossibly high standard in pop music on numerous levels: as a record maker (the silky funk and R&B on albums like Thriller and Off the Wall), dancer (his Moonwalk remains one of the most imitated steps), fashion icon (sequined gloves), video auteur (lavish clips for “Beat It” and “Thriller”) and record seller (1982’s Thriller was the Number One selling album of all time until it was recently deposed by the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975). His singing and music took in gospel, hard rock, funk, and middle-of-the-road balladry, and his vision of himself as an all-around entertainer propelled him to heights rarely seen in pop history.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Jackson family and his friends.
RSS Feed