The Discovery Channel are, for reasons that are unclear to everyone (including themselves no doubt), going to broadcast a re-enactment of Michael Jackson’s autopsy. No, honestly they are. That’ll make for cheery viewing won’t it?
And, it goes without saying, that the people who are looking after Jackson’s estate aren’t particularly pleased about it all asking the broadcaster to cancel their plans to air the show. Again, we’ll point out that the show is a recreation of a dead body being cut open and poked at.
That said, Michael Jackson exhumed his own corpse during the Thriller video, so perhaps we shouldn’t moan about this at all?
John Branca (banjo fan) and John McClain (keen amateur wrestler) said the show was “in shockingly bad taste” and, in a letter which they typed up all by themselves on a ‘computer typewriter’, they accused Discovery of being motivated by “blind desire” to exploit the singer’s death.
They obviously didn’t see Sky One’s ‘seance’ with Derek ‘say hi to Quincy Jones for me’ Acorah.
The show, which is obviously going to be brilliantly awful, is called Michael Jackson’s Autopsy: What Really Killed Michael Jackson and will probably air in January. Of course, the second Michael Jackson’s estate made the complaint about it, we (along with loads of others) decided to report on it and thereby give the programme loads of publicity and make everyone want to watch it, regardless of whether its good or not.
The co-executors wrote:
“Your decision to even schedule this programme is in shockingly bad taste and insensitive to Michael’s family”
“On behalf of Michael’s family, fans, common sense and decency, we urge you to reconsider and cancel this programme”
What seems to be sticking in the craw is Discovery’s hilariously tasteless advertisement that is promoting the show. If you haven’t seen it, the spot features a lifeless cadaver on a slab wearing only Jackson’s trademark sequined glove poking out from beneath a death-sheet.
Branca and McClain say…
“Discovery obviously views this as clever advertising and creative ‘branding’ for its programme”
“In fact, the ad is debased, sick and insensitive.”
In other news, Conrad Murray’s (the Pontius Pilate of pop music) lawyers are looking like they’re going to suggest that Michael Jackson killed himself. That’s nice isn’t it?
Dr Murray has repeatedly denied causing Jackson’s death and Michael Jackson fans have consistently assumed they know more about what happened on that fateful day because they’ve read some words on the internet – the same internet that spreads scurrilous rumours all the time.
So what have we learned? That MJ fans only believe what they want to believe and that we’re quite happy to goad them and piss on celebrity graves.
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sc341 says
Are they going to do a mock autopsy on Princess Diana next? I really want to know if she was pregnant with Dodi Al Fayed’s child. I think that doing a mock autopsy on the Princess would be about as in good taste as an autopsy on Jackson.
Jamie says
It has now been canceled! All of the Michael fans bonded together and formed a protest against this disgusting programme, Discovery has now canceled the programme.