Honestly, Michael Jackson should have popped his clogs a few years ago – it’s done wonders for his career.
Take The AMAs. The 2009 American Music Award nominations have just been announced and Michael Jackson is up for five awards, including Best Artist (even though he’s dead and hasn’t released any new albums for eight years) and Best Album (for a Greatest Hits collection that came out six full years ago).
Why has Michael Jackson been nominated so many times? Simple – it’s because he’s dead and dead people can’t make acceptance speeches. Basically it’s all a big ploy to ruin Kanye West‘s fun.
This is just a hunch, but we’re expecting the big winner at the 2010 Brit Awards to be Stephen Gately‘s nine-year-old cover version of Bright Eyes from Watership Down. Because if the just-announced American Music Award nominations are anything to go by, handing out awards to dead singers regardless of when they last actually recorded anything seems to be the hot new thing.
Michael Jackson, the dead popstar whose last underwhelming album was released in 2001, has been nominated for five awards – Best Artist, Best Male Artist, Best Album, Best R&B Male Artist and Best R&B Album. The album in question, by the way, is Number Ones. From 2003. Even when you factor grief into the decision to nominate him so many times, it still doesn’t make a great deal of sense.
Especially because Michael Jackson has released new music this year, which would have been legitimately eligible for nomination. It’s just a shame that the American Music Awards organisers failed to initiate new categories entitled Best Halfhearted And Truncated Rip-Off Of A Song From Grand Theft Auto and Best Cover Version Of An 18-Year-Old Puerto Rican Song That Nobody Had Ever Heard Of Until Yesterday, because Michael Jackson would have bloody well walked those.
Somewhat inevitably, news of all these Michael Jackson nominations have been met with bemusement from all corners, not least the LA Times:
Regardless of retail impact, a 2009 award show should be restricted to albums actually recorded within its recent history. At last check, Jackson has already won plenty of American Music Award trophies for the songs on “Number Ones,” including an artist of the century accolade in 2002. A segment or two honoring Jackson would have been a better way to recognise the King of Pop’s contributions to music.
Actually, you know what? Screw it. Based on unit sales and radio play, Michael Jackson probably does deserve all of these nominations. And let’s not forget the most important thing here – if Michael Jackson doesn’t get nominated then he can’t win, and if he doesn’t win then Jermaine Jackson can’t make an acceptance speech by proxy where he insinuates that he had a greater hand in the making of his brother’s hit records than he actually did. Won’t anyone think of Jermaine here? Jesus.
And anyway, surely the American Music Award voters are smart enough to realise that the basis for Michael Jackson’s nominations are flawed, and that maybe acts who have made legitimately eligible albums of new material would be more deserving of the awards. What’s that? The American Music Awards are voted for by the public?
Oh bugger.
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Monica says
Ok everyone, Michael Jackson needs to be noticed all the time every year. He IS THE KING OF POP and there will never be anyone like him. I believe that if he were still alive his concerts would have been the highlight of the nation. All the charges that were layed on him for things I just don’t see to be in Michaels nature brought the star to a level of grief. All the hard work and wonderful performaces and noone seems to think of what the alligations were doing to him. He could have had all the children in the world but it seems he put his career of making his fans happy first. He deserves all the rewards he can get not for the music he has not done but but for the heart that he had and the love he had for all his fans. NOONE will ever be the shinning star that he is and will always be. RIP Michael and you will live on forever!!
shooty* says
Poor choice of words at the end there.
Jam says
Why has Michael Jackson been nominated so many times? Simple – BECAUSE HE SOLD MORE THAN ANYONE. You tabloids, who have done your best to trash him – fail to realize the impact to of your negative press. And if you ask “the people” to vote, you will find MJ’s fans from all corners of the globe who are tired of this crap. Give the artist his due. If you take away his numbers from the final tally for industry sales for 2009, you will be left with what can only be described as miserable! “The voters” did not make the rules…the AMA did. To increase sagging viewership. LOL…why do you think MJ is included? For the same reasons that you wrote this article.
Tom J says
Michael Jackson, I’m really happy for you and Im’a let you finish, but Kanye West has had some of the most undeserving award nominations of ALL TIME!
JoeMomma says
To all you mercury eating, flouride drinking MJ fans.
I don’t think he can hear you from the screaming hordes of damned souls he’s in company with.
Hey look Friends is on!
erica says
yeah i understand that Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. I have liked Michael Jackson all my life, but it’s getting a little irritating that now everyone remembers him because he’s dead. If you look at the other nominees there all of this generation, and Michael Jackson isn’t. I do think he deserves this though, but it’s a little late. If they are nominating Michael Jackson, they should nominate Madonna, or maybe even Prince!
sheez.
Ohitsnotme says
Well said, Jam… MJ deserves the nominations based on the AMA’s own rules. I’m so sick of jealous american idol wannabees who see MJ’s nomination as an infringment on their beloved own stars…baby
TIGER says
LETS PUT IT THIS WAY, IF OBAMA CAN GET THE PULTIZER AWARD FOR DOING NOTHING ,THEN MICHAEL CAN GET AWARDS FOR ALL HE DID IN THE INDUSTRY
Tom J says
Holy crap, Obama’s won a Pulitzer now? I thought the Nobel was weird but a prize in literature is just taking the piss.
Deborah Ffrench says
Of course Michael should be nominated. He was and will remain one of the greatest entertainers that ever walked the earth. He also – and I say this for the benefit of some of the detractors above, has an album and a single out. And yes, I am aware that these nominations are as much about acknowledging the growing worldwide calls for Michael’s name to be decisively vindicated as they are about recognizing the peerlessness of his musical legacy. Still not convinced? Okay, all joking aside, though, there are serious reasons why the nominations for Michael are happening:
If anyone is interested in wanting to know the truth, like I was several weeks ago when
ben says
haha hope he wins all 5 awards. cause none of the other people he has been put up with deserve to win. come on eminem. his new album was so stupid and so crapy. lady gaga come on people. when i read the list of nominees i thought this is a disgrace for michaels name to be even put with their names. no matter who wins mj is and willl always be the greatest act in history. where can i vote for mj.
Tom Vjestica says
Michael Jackson deserves all the awards!
Ann says
MJ is the best ever, that’s the truth.
Hi Deborah Ffrench, I love your comments which I already bumped into twice on the net.
Pls visit a new forum http://MJsArmy.proboards.com where all dedicated MJ fans get united. We need fans like you to bring Justice for Michael Jackson.
dana says
I`m totally agree with you.Michael deserves all awards in the world.I love all the fans Michael Jackson and I love Michael Jackson.
Ashley says
although im not getting into why i think this is rediculosly unfair that hes nominated, whats wrong with Lady Gaga? Now that Mjs Gone shes the only one with real talent left if you have ears.
karen says
Thank you Deborah French for putting into eloquent words exactly what I’ve been seeing and learning since Michael Jackson’s death. I had little faith in the media before his death; I have virtually none, now. I don’t know if I can ever understand WHY the media relationship with Michael Jackson was just so poisoned, unless it is as he once said, that rich white powerful america couldn’t stand to see a geniously talented, generous and sensitive, black man win the hearts of the world. That’s my description of the man, not his, he was far too humble too. My mind reels at the implications regardless.
Billie-Jean says
Ok…
you need to shut the fuck up he deserves to be nominated for the awards. Better yet he deserves to win the damn awards. Yes, he may be gone but he was the worlds best singer, dancer, performer and he had so much fucking talent sice he was 7. So don’t say shit about the awards that he was nominated for. Also before you say anything you should think about his family: Janet, Catherine, Jermain,
Prince, Paris, Blancket.
And think about his fans that were head ovr heals for him. Alot of people don’t only think that he was only a performer like you do. Alot of people think that he was an amazingly generouse person, and an amazing man.
I think he was the most generouse person that lived considering that he gave $35 000 000 to one charity and yes i think you should leave him alone and let him rest in peace.
P.S. STFU to anyone that talks shit about Michael Jackson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tina says
I’m sorry but the music today compared with Michael Jackson is not good. Who brought the excitement that Michael brought to the music awards? Nobody came close except maybe the Black Eye Peas. I”m just glad I was around to see Michael because there is not much to get excited about these days. Where do they get these no talant preformers anyway?
Kelsey says
I get that Micheal Jackson is the King of Pop. I understand that he is a fantastic artist and the media hasn’t been fair to him. But come on. It is the 2009 awards. He didn’t do anything but die to get him nominated. I know that sounds bad but it is true. The list of nominees is a waste. The more I look the more sick of American music I become. What happened the days of good music with real names, not Lady Gaga, and fanstatic bands that didn’t have to talk about drugs or sex every minute? I have disowned America and am looking to Europe where the Killers are loved, Oasis is gold, and the Police’s home land. There are more deserving artists who came out with wonderful albums in 2009. I am sure Jackson’s is great but it should have been recognized when it came out. Taylor Swift is the only decent artist to come out the past few years and I don’t even listen to her. Lets go back to the origins of rock and appreciate music for what it used to be. Rest in peace Micheal, but you don’t deserve to win any awards in 2009. Who knows maybe Billy Joel will get 6 nominations in a few years when he dies.
brad says
Kelsy … every word that you type is bullshit! (im seriously allergic to reading bullshit!!)
You fail to realise that Michael inspired almost every artist at the AMA!! the artists said so them selves. They’re honouring him by nominating his music… they’re appreciating what he did NOW! coz we all neglected him. His album ‘Invincible’ was his last, and i felt that it was a great album… it is because of the media that it failed, they made us hate him and feel disgusted of him. There is no better way to thank Michael for all what he has done than at the AMA!
MJ should take all the damn awards coz he is one of a kind he is different from any other artist he deserves all these awards. Yes he’s dead but God dammit his music will on and on and continue to win awards!! a true King!
Lessley says
dumbass article. hope you die and people say the same about you =] but wait nobodys gona even care.
magnetite says
“…coz we all neglected him.”
Yes you did, Brad. You should be commenting on every single Jacko article published here at Hecklerspray and also on every other site that mentions him even tangentially. At least ten times a day. Otherwise the world may forget that he deserves all awards in all fields, all the time.
Alternatively, if that’s too much effort, you could go and quietly exhume him in the dead of night and smother his cold, dead plastic face with grateful kisses until you are shot by a cemetery watchman.
You owe it to your king, you disrespectful peon.
Shane says
Well stated!
shell517nj says
I agree Monica. Long live the King of Pop! Jam you are totally correct. I wrote the same on many blogs…the ama knew exactly what they were doing allowing Michael as a nominee…for increased votees and viewership.
EZZA says
Dude, I am sooo with you you have no idea, shut the hell up to anyone else!!!!
Jack says
madonna didnt get nominated cause she didnt sell enough albums. michael is the best selling artist of all time with more then 750 million records.