Even Calbuzz was moved when 11-year-old Paris Katherine Jackson took the microphone to tell the world that Michael had been a wonderful father and that she loved him dearly, which you can watch here on TMZ.
That was the emotional high point of the MJ Tribute, for sure. The political high points were two: the Rev. Al Sharpton’s observation that Jackson was instrumental in breaking the color barrier and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s insistence on the presumption of innocence.
Sharpton’s great line: “He put on one glove, pulled his pants up and broke down the color curtain.”
The Rev was suggesting that even before Oprah, Tiger Woods and Barack Obama, Michael Jackson was an international crossover phenom of great significance, linking nationalities, ethnic groups and cultures through his extraordinary musical talent.
And then, turning to the MJ’s kids, Sharpton said, “There wasn’t nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what he had to deal with.”
That’s not true, of course. There was a lot strange about Michael Jackson. But it was a nice thing to say to his kids. And it’s also clear that to huge numbers of people around the world — and especially in the black community — Jackson’s life is an inspiration and his music is iconic. Whether he is, as Berry Gordy pronounced him, “the greatest entertainer of all time,” is a judgment for the history books – not mere political hacks. But it’s certainly arguable.
The other political moment of note: the defiant (and way too long) speech from Rep. Lee of Texas, taking aim at her colleague Rep. Peter King of New York, who had called Jacko a “pervert,” “child molester,” and “pedophile.” Lee sharply noted that under the U.S. Constitution one is considered innocent until proven guilty (which Jackson was not) and she presented a resolution from Congress memorializing MJ as a great entertainer.
Why it matters? Because it is further evidence that having one black family living in public housing in Washington has not eradicated the racial divide in America. The black community’s spontaneous rally in defense of Michael Jackson against presumptions – expressed mostly by white politicians, commentators and comedians (with some notable exceptions like Chris Rock) — that Jackson was an unconvicted pederast, is just another measure of the divide.
When you get Queen Latifa, Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Jennifer Hudson, Berry Gordy, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Bernice King, Martin Luther King III and Usher singing praises to the life of one man, it’s clear that those who would argue otherwise are wading into racially-charged territory.
Skunk Note: Over at Fox News, Geraldo Rivera had a few choice words for many of the 
celebrities at the Staples Center:
“The vast majority of the people in that hall,” Geraldo said, “and certainly ninety nine percent of the celebrities who have come to this memorial did not stand anywhere near Michael Jackson during the years he was accused of those horrible crimes, and they didn’t say, ‘We believe him innocent, they didn’t say let the case go where it may, let the facts prove innocence or guilt.’ They just disappeared, and now they have resurfaced to celebrate his life.”
Scoop of the week: Green with envy kudos to the Chron’s irrepressible Carla Marinucci for her 
that super-model Kate Moss used coke on a fashion shoot a few years back, but only Brown’s office has doggedly pursued the possibility of filing grand theft charges against Moss for allegedly leaving the scene with a spoon belonging to the on-location caterer stuck up her nose.
Did David Hasselhoff defame Wendy’s? Brown has long believed that law enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions blundered by turning a blind eye to possible Product Disparagement civil law violations by burned-out Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, who was famously taped trying to get his choppers around a Baconator while falling down drunk, a video that may have sent sales of the once-popular Wendy’s menu item plummeting.
anonymous informant in the high-end L.A. cosmetology industry, Brown is reportedly close to filing charges against the pop princess for not reimbursing a Tarzana hair salon for the use of high speed clippers with which she whacked off all her hair a few years back. With interest, Brown investigators say, the tab by now may well be close to the mid-three figures.
David Duchovny’s sex addiction scam. Brown’s undercover agents have developed confidential information that after “X Files” star Duchovny was released from rehab for sex addiction, he plotted to fleece and seduce thousands of gullible libertines by inviting them to join him in steamy sessions of a new, scam 12-step program.
“We’ll have the budget for the coast that has tax increases and services,” Lockyer told the Turgid Times. “And in a bunch of other areas in Central and Southern California that don’t have tax increases … their public schools are closed a month of the year – and see what happens.”
posse is busy trumpeting her $6.5 million fundraising haul as evidence that she’s connecting with Real Voters, her web site still tells another, very different tale: that her Megness lives in terror of sitting down to answer questions from California reporters who understand state issues.
By William Etling
The possibility of a Jackson museum put Santa Barbara County Supervisor Doreen Farr, elected on a slow-growth platform, on the political hot seat, caught between music fans and her pro-green supporters. Speculation about a Jackson museum ignored one King Kong-sized if prosaic issue, however: zoning.
Journalist William Etling, the author of 
That was the week that was: We’ll leave to more talented social 
aking Rod Blagoevich and Sarah Palin seem like Ozzie and Harriet.
