Michael Jackson’s life equates Broadway musical Chicago’s reality and I was appalled at the circus that ensued. Yes, I said circus.

A golden coffin? Usher singing in sunglasses? The ‘Queen B’ Mariah Carey, herself, singing in a black sparkly, low-cut v-neck dress? Jackson’s family wearing sparkly gloves to commemorate their brother?

If Michael Jackson valued the privacy of his children, then why would his daughter, Paris Katherine Michael Jackson, take the stage to say a few tear-felt words to a room of thousands?

Is that really respecting the King of Pop’s wishes? Can you deem it ‘touching’ or ‘exploiting’ – which term do you prefer?

Granted, the sadness of a child is the purest and most heart-wrenching to view, but I ask myself – What would Michael do?

Maybe he would have done what the rest, and Cory Feldman couldn’t (sweet? or taking attention away from the deceased?) – maybe he would have a little respect for death like Diana Ross, or Liz Taylor and I have yet to hear about Macaulay Culkin, one of Jackson’s oldest and dearest friends (alongside Mrs. Taylor).

Is it fitting, ironic or is it slightly disturbing that the Barnum and Bailey Circus starts at the Staples Center the day after the Memorial Service, and the circus animals were ushered into holding areas the morning of Jackson’s event.

Yesterday, I was waiting for the CNN wire and alike to tell me Britney Spears showed up with her tour crew to reminisce “The Way You Make Me Feel” in a slinky green dress.

Is it me? Am I the only one who just can’t fathom making a mockery of death?

Marcus Antonius (Mark Anthony) said in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, “The evil that men do, live after them. The good is oft interred with their bones.”

No kidding.

Earlier, Congressman Peter King from New York called Jackson a pedophile and requested that the media stopped “glorifying” him.

So while, CNN is replaying the memorial service, instead of finding an alternate place to stream it – and the anchors of Good Morning America are tweeting their hearts out about every move from the memorial service, there actually were things going on the world of some more importance:

1. Queen Rania urged people to tune into the Gaza war crimes trial in Geneva via the Internet
2. Al Gore called for more public pressure for climate change deals
3. Random House Publishing released the jacket for “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown, which as a pre-sale is number two on Amazon.com
4. The Pope called for reform and a New World Economic Order… plus the Vatican is having trouble translating his text into Latin because of words like “globalization,” and “insolvency”
5. Iran’s president-select, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called last month’s Iranian Election, “the most free election anywhere in the world” in a press conference
6. The Feds eased restrictions on how stem cells can be used for research and alike
7. President Obama is in Russia, and some are questioning the public relations tactics and foreign relations strategies at hand with President Vladimir Putin
8. Republicans have torn into Sarah Palin, post-her decision to leave the office of Governor
9. There is unrest in China, very reminiscent of Tiananmen Square in the 1980s
10. And there is still an ongoing investigation into the two trains that collided at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. over the weekend leaving one person dead

But did you hear about any of that?

No.

I don’t doubt that you heard nothing. Nor do I doubt that you would believe me if I told you that while the ‘legitimate news sources’ have been covering Michael Jackson non-stop for three days (and the weeks prior), all of THAT actually happened.

And do you want to know why? Because fiction mirrors fact.

In 1975, there was a musical that opened on Broadway called Chicago. It was based on a play written by Maurine Dallas Watkins in 1926 that told the story about actual criminals and their crimes. More than anything, the play illustrated the lust for fame, attention and the lengths that some people will go to get it. The story also describes how far and how hard the fall from fame can really be.

Chicago illustrates the type of society we live in to the scariest, accurate degree.

A media more interested in popular culture than the news, people vying for the spotlight and attention, people willing to do anything for fame and the need to be seen.

Sound familiar?

With Michael Jackson having suffered through court hearings for child molestation, law suits with a Beatle, and a public who can’t decide whether to love or hate him (do you remember when Jackson was labeled “Wacko Jacko?”), it’s been rumored that he died from a drug overdose via his prescriptions.

So I ask you three things:
1. How far would you be willing to go, what price would you pay for fame?
2. Furthermore, if you got it, how would you deal with it?
3. And when, is too much attention, more than enough attention?

The Rev. Lucious Smith said something very interesting and, in my opinion exceedingly important, at the end of Jackson’s Memorial Service.

“The King of Pop must bend his knee to the King of Kings,” he says.

For remember, Michael Jackson was, believe or not, human.

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Sasha Muradali runs the ‘Little Pink Book’ . She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida (’07) and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami(’08). She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima.

Copyright © 2009 Sasha H. Muradali. All Rights Reserved