Comments on: Far From the City of Class

By: notfamousbutpluggedin

notfamousbutpluggedin — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:26:18 +0000

This might be odd coming from a 20-year entertainment industry executive who’s produced big publicity stunts to hype my projects and stars, but I respectfully disagree. You’re correct that “the funerals will probably leave behind nearly as much money as they cost the city.” But that money will be going in the pockets of AEG and the Jackson family. All the hoopla generated by the LA equivalent of a state funeral served the purposes of those who’ll be merchandising Jackson until after the apocalypse: to reinvent an over-the-hill performer most recently famous only for his peccadillos or worse, with a raging drug addiction they knew would become public within days, into the heir apparent to Jesus. And this PR stunt could only be achieved with the buy-in and checkbook of the city of LA. The possibility that midday freeway traffic for a hearse carrying an empty coffin, as now appears to be the case, is obscene.

It has never failed to amaze me how effectively the entertainment industry – my industry, and particularly celebrities, have played the LA city government, courts and city services for the chump. The moment I heard Jackson had died, I knew his avaricious network of family, representatives, hangers-on and business associates – people who, during Jackson’s life, took sociopathic lying for money to an art form – would do everything possible to milk this publicity opportunity so it could benefit their longterm business goals. Truth is, they’re no different than so many in my industry who make seemingly charitable or goodwill gestures which are simply a front for a smart promotional or revenue-building idea. I also realized that with all the chaos of this unexpected situation, it wasn’t going to be the time for LA to finally grow up, show its sophistication and gumption and draw that line in the sand. The case you made here was black or white, no pun intended. But it could’ve been grey. There were numerous reasonable compromises that could’ve worked, such a establishing a maximum cost that the city would’ve covered and requiring that AEG, Jackson’s record label and his family, all of whom will be profiting off the memorial with CD sales, DVDs, coffee tables books and everything else, kick in the rest. But the clumsiness of City Hall, which treated this issue like a particularly bitchy episode of America’s Next Top Model, made that impossible too.

Let me be the first to announce that there are dozens of personal publicists, studios, music companies and networks who’ve watched this memorial carefully, from a business POV, and are already thinking how they can make the same demands down the road. It’s the Hollywood way.

By: Marc Haefele

Marc Haefele — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:59:21 +0000

I’m going to assume that bmayhem just got into Jackson overload like most of us. I almost mentioned the Laker parade as another example of tiny-brained municipal negativity. Hey, did the City Council really want them to lose the championship in order to save LA a few bucks? Too bad indeed that none of us work for Goldman Sachs.

And I forgot to mention that Sartre had a drug problem too.

Thanks, y`all.
Marc

By: donoskeys

donoskeys — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:31:21 +0000

lakers are great!

By: browne

browne — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:10:51 +0000

Marc that was great. I hate basketball. I hate the Lakers, but I wasn’t going to make a big deal about them having a parade, because we live in LA. That’s part of the deal. And why would I waste my time caring about that, when 101 billion dollars was stolen by AIG. It amazes me what people will waste their time complaining about yet the same people let other things go, like they aren’t a big deal. Job losses since 2007, no one said a thing about it until January of 2009, but a parade or a funeral, lets go on and on and on about how much it costs. Not that it’s wrong, but the American public is getting screwed in much bigger and substantial ways then this one event.

If you’re going to complain about something that isn’t going to turn back time you should probably be complaining about the fact that the average salary for Goldman Sachs employees, a company that got 16 billion dollars of our money is going to make about 770,000 dollars a year.

Browne Molyneux

By: Lucinda Michele

Lucinda Michele — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:50:59 +0000

Don’t change the way you write, Marc–readers are so used to getting blog-style “just the facts, ma’am” posts that a full-fleshed article is a surprise (and a pleasant one, for me).

To speak to your point, I think there’s a lot of public backlash against MJ in particular, and politicians are responding to that perceived discontent. I think the public will always gripe when attention is lavished on a celebrity, and the politicians are just trying to put on a show for them–methinks they doth protest too much?

By: Chal Pivik

Chal Pivik — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:50:26 +0000

Marc, great post. I can’t tell whether bmayhem’s comment is an ironic, deliberate attempt to embody the small mindedness you’re writing about or if his/her attention span is really that stubby.

By: bmayhem

bmayhem — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:31:51 +0000

This may come off as harsh, but that’s not the motive. Writing style is awesome. You paint a picture well.. but half way through the 4th paragraph I skipped the story.

It’s most likely me, so used to the meat first, fluff later. Don’t change because of me though..