Madonna Pays Tribute to Michael Jackson at MTV Awards

Madonna paid tribute to the King of Pop during this week’s MTV Awards in New York City. Although some were critical that her speech included comparisons of his struggles with the media with her own, her heartfelt comparisons hit a nerve for many.

Noting his creative genius could never be matched, she sincerely spoke of her regret at her and the public’s role in allowing him to ‘fall through the cracks’. She said she understood how it feels when the world has turned their back on you. She made it clear what many already know…. that a witch hunt began against this man and that many were too busy judging him to see the true cost until we had lost someone so valuable. What Madonna provided was not only a rare glimpse at a man by providing private moments but again allowed us to humanize this man with all his faults and issues.

She reminded us that he was not allowed the luxury of a childhood and thus spent a lifetime obsessing about it …trying to create what all of us are lucky enough to experience. We can thank her for her honest and humble speech. She had the courage to state what many already knew…that the media and public went after this man in a ruthless manner.



Other highlights of the evening were the musical tribute to MJ by his sister Janet Jackson. She danced her heart out and raised her head to the stars at what hopefully is her brother watching and smiling down upon us.

At the end of the evening everyone got a glimpse at the genius at work creating what would have been the ‘This is It‘ concert. The trailer offered a glimpse at the creator at work. It looks like it would have been a fitting tribute to him if he had been able to live to see the day.

What was not lost during the evening, however, was the spoiled behavior of this generation of artists. All of the artists attending the show quite frankly have MJ to thank. Without him, videos would not have been the popular medium they have become.

Some of the behavior demonstrated took the focus off the tribute. The next day instead of talking about the tribute and all the honest reflection that took place we found ourselves discussing the nonsense about bad behavior. We should have been talking about how many of today’s artists celebrated a man that most could never dream of living up to but no we spent most of the TV time talking about how rude this new generation is. This man spent his life giving and being gracious to others. The artists of today that feel themselves ‘too cool’ need to take some time off and study what came before them and start appreciating the opportunities and luck they have been given and behaving appropriately. We can only hope that the events spark real debate and finally pull some of these spoiled artists back down to reality. We really don’t care what they have to say. We owe that to the King of Pop.

Madonna’s Speech and Janet Jackson’s Musical Tribute

Madonna’s speech and the MJ dance tribute featuring Janet Jackson can be seen at MTV awards. It is well worth the watch.