I’ve only seen some of the clips from the BET Awards that aired Sunday night, but it looked like a total tearjerker evening, even from the opening. Jamie Foxx was the host, and he “made his entrance in a red leather Billie Jean jacket” as “Beat It” played. Jamie then “showed off some of Jackson’s signature moves, including Jackson’s infamous crotch-grabbing routine.” BET’s site has a lot of links and video clips here.
Joe Jackson and Janet Jackson were in attendance – from the coverage, I don’t think Joe appeared on stage, he only talked to the press on the red carpet and backstage, in the pressroom. But Janet came out on stage and spoke, paying tribute to her brother. She showed a lot of grace and class – but I’ve always loved Janet, so I’m biased. She told the audience, “My entire family wanted to be here tonight but it was too painful… To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family. He will forever live in all of hearts… On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support. We miss him so much. Thank you so much.”
Sunday’s BET Awards at Los Angeles’s Shrine Auditorium honored entertainers for their achievements last year and served as a tribute to Michael Jackson – whose father Joe Jackson and sister Janet Jackson were very visible at the event, only three days after the death of their son and brother.
Sporting a black hat, sunglasses and a dark suit, the patriarch of the Jackson family appeared on the red carpet and told CNN about Michael: “I wish the world had recognized him when he was living. Right now, he’s bigger than ever. But I wish he was here to see all this, to hear all this.”
The memory of Michael dominated the gala. Host Jamie Foxx made his entrance in a red leather “Billie Jean” jacket. “No need to be sad. We want to celebrate this black man, he belongs to us – and we shared him with everybody else… It don’t matter what he looked like … what his nose looked like … it was what he sounded like… We gonna go through all of Michael Jackson…Who was the best?” Foxx then asked the audience. The crowd shouted,”Michael!”
The host closed his opening monologue with his rendition of Jackson’s signature Moonwalk. “I hope I can make it,” said Foxx, adding that it was his first attempt at the fancy footwork since 1983.
Throughout the evening, entertainers, including R&B female artist of the year Beyonce, paid tribute to Michael as his father sat in a ringside seat in the auditorium, next to Rev. Al Sharpton. Beyoncé dedicated her award to Michael, whom she called “my teacher and hero.”
Award presenter Marlon Wayans, accompanied by Jeremy Piven, addressed Joe Jackson and said, “The Jacksons had a profound effect on my family. If it wasn’t for the Jacksons there would be no Wayans. Thank you.”
Piven, meanwhile, joked, “If it wasn’t for Michael Jackson, people like Justin Timberlake would probably be selling curly fries in the [San Fernando] Valley.” As some members of the audience groaned, Piven quickly interjected, “Said with love.”
LeBron James, collecting his best male athlete trophy, told the crowd, “My heart and prayers go out to the whole Jackson family. What they did for us … was amazing.”
At the close of the ceremony, Janet Jackson spoke publicly for the first time since Thursday about Michael. “My entire family wanted to be here tonight but it was too painful,” she told the BET audience, including her father who stood and applauded from his seat. “To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family. He will forever live in all of hearts.
Tearing up, she added, “On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support. We miss him so much. Thank you so much.”
In the pressroom, where he made a brief appearance, Joe Jackson was asked if Michel might have a message for his fans at this time. He responded, “I think if Michael was here he would’ve enjoyed the celebration, but … he couldn’t be here. It’s like he was larger than he was ever before. I think Michael gives his love to everybody and we hope his record will never be broken.”
As for how he would like his son to be remembered, the elder Jackson said, “Well as you know, since the tragedy has happened, I would like him to be remembered forever all over the world. We know that all over the world everybody will support him.”
[From People]
Even though I had stopped viewing Michael Jackson as an entertainer or singer many years ago – only seeing him as some tragic, sordid character – I was surprised to find myself crying at some of the tributes to Michael the past few days. While we don’t really know for sure what happened in his personal life, I was moved when I thought back to my childhood, and how big Michael Jackson was, and how he fundamentally changed music, pop culture, and how he influenced so many lives in positive ways. He was an amazingly gifted man, and I think the BET tribute was a nice way to honor his life and his contributions to music and culture.
Shown at the BET Awards are Joe Jackson, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Estelle, Chaka Khan, Taraji P. Henson, Ne-Yo, Wyclef Jean, Soulja Boy, Tyrese Gibson, Kanye West, Ciara, Cassie, Meagan Good, Monica, and MC Lyte. Credit: WENN.com
You should really post the video of Joe Jackson being interviewed at the BET Awards by CNN. It’s really shocking! He show’s hardly any emotion, say’s he’s doing great and talks about his own record-label! This man is the devil himself.
U can see how janet is really feeling a brother’s lost. But his father… I don’t even got words to describe that man. He’s a monster. No wonder Michael had childhood issues.
His mother must be the sweetest woman but she wasn’t able to protect her children from that man.. hope she does a better job protecting her grandchildren.
In 1993, Chandler told a psychiatrist and police that he and Jackson had engaged in sexual acts that included oral sex, the boy gave detailed description of Jackson’s genitals. The case was settled out of court for a reported $22 million, but the strain led Jackson to begin taking painkillers. Eventually he became addicted.
Now maybe for the remorse of his death Chandler decides to tell us the truth. ” I never meant to lie and destroy Michael Jackson but my father made me to tell only lies. Now i can’t tell Michael how much i’m sorry and if he will forgive me ”.Evan Chandler was tape-recorded saying amongst other things, “If I go through with this, I win big-time. There’s no way I lose. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever…
Under the influence of a controversial father (Jordan Chandler) told his son to tell that Jackson had touched his penis.Jordan Chandler then told a psychiatrist and later police that he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex, as well as giving a detailed description of what he alleged were the singer’s genitals.
” Now for the first time i can’t bare to lie anymore. Michael Jackson didn’t do anything to me, all was my father lies to escape from being poor.”
Joe Jackson is very very scary. How cold.
Poor Janet, I love that woman. How she’s managed to turn out relatively normal is beyond me.
poor janet, i cried watching her speech, infact i have cried several times this weekend in relation to micheal jackson and am not ashamed to say it.
The man might have been a stranger to bme because i never personally met him but on another hand he was like a family memmber because he has always been there throughout my childhood , i grew up with micheal jackson in the background of many of my childhood memories espically the happy ones; i would miss him so much
if i miss him this much , i can being to think what someone like janet is going through, her heart must be breaking.
Joe Jackson is a vile man, i had nothing but bad vibes about the man ever since i knew he existed at a young age and what he did to his kids ; his greed know no bound.
micheal is at a better place , may his soul rest im peace…i pray for his childs and the rest of his family.
I thought the BET awards were a little rude. The begininng was more of a mockery than a tribute. I thought Jamie Foxx was racist!! And really isnt good Saying that Michael belonged to them, the black people. The award show was pretty low budget. I understand that it was a little last minute for the tribute but it just wasnt good enough. Sorry BET!
@Natalie – the sources for that alleged confession by Chandler are extremely weak, and look at all the typos and bad grammar in the text – lower case “i,” “bare” is spelled wrong, etc. I haven’t seen a legitimate news source carry that at all and none of the outlets covering it source the quote. It’s very likely fabricated.
@CB about Natalie — She has posted that on other comments (I have read it before!)
@Len — that man is so disgusting!
So much better than Michaels father, all he wanted to do was promote his record label!
I wonder where all those concerned family members were when he was alive!
The nanny has stated that Janet and other family members tried to stage an intervention. Its difficult to get a drug addict off prescription drugs especially a rich one. Don’t judge. I’m sure most of us has a family member who is a substance abuser and feel their helplessness and frustration.My family member was abusing cocaine and I still couldn’t get the police to arrest him.I couldn’t getting him committed because he posed no danger to others or himself(suicide)
That had to have been so difficult for Janet, to get up and speak about her pain when it is still so raw and new. I admit I’m no fan of Michael Jackson’s, but I sympathize with his family. It’s so hard to lose a loved one, especially when it could have been prevented.
Is sad to see such a talented artist die this way. MJ had everything to be a happy person, but instead, he turned to be a 11 years boy trapped in a 50 years man body. I think his father had a huge part on this. Maybe one day Joe Jackson will pay for all the sadness he brought to his kids. I bet the devil has a special place for him on hell.
Ps- Natalie where did you hear the confession of Chandler?
And yes, it is a surprise that janet looks relatively normal. Maybe it’s because Jermaine Dupri, her husband. I fell pitty for Michael cause he didn’t have the same strenght as janet to forget his awful childwood.
To the morons chosing to post about Jordie Chandler and the 1993 molestation scandal, did you know that Jordie’s testimony changed daily on the stand, that he described a marking on MJ’s genitals that was not there when they did the strip search, that his family was very wealthy yet settled for a payout when someone supposedly molested their child, that Jordie’s father had a criminal history of suing his patients for false claims in the past (he was a dentist, by the way, the mother in the last case also had a criminal history of suing for false claims), and that Jordie Chandler’s own mother testified in DEFENSE of Michael Jackson during his recent criminal trial?!
Honestly, some of you people are so gullible and rediculous. First of all, the man is dead. He was one of the greatest entertainers and humanitarians this world has ever known. Second of all, if any of you actually bothered to read the court transcripts of the trial (which were available to the public every single day), and not what the media reported (which was extremely opposite the day’s true events) for money and greed then you would know what BS the whole thing was. The 2004 allegations also alleged that Michael kidnapped the family and whisked them off in a hot air balloon to South America. Meanwhile, the mother has spending all of Michael’s money and even using it to get a bikini wax the entire time she’s supposedly being held prisoner. Give me a freaking break. I was disappointed in the public’s naivete before, but now I’m just plain angry. Stop being lazy and look up the truth yourself for a change. Read my blog (google PopSpiracy) for information on all sorts of topics free of media bias, including a few about Michael Jackson (skin disease, allegations, rumors, etc). This nonsense has to stop, truly.
Why is jamie foxx singing? why is he like the MJ emcee of all of this?
he bugs…surely,there are better ppl to lead the tribute to mj?
i’ll be the first to admit i didnt follow the actual trial for MJ’s case…honestly,i didnt follow much of the media,either. i kind of just turned a cheek….he was evolving/de-volving? into a character with whom I could not relate….similar to madonna in that regard for me-i saw her live in ’85 as a high schooler;it was phenomenal-the woman does put on a good show…but she has become a caricature of herself,much like MJ. [I am not comparing her talent to MJ’s,although I find it interesting that so few ppl will give Madonna the credit due for the strides she made-you may not like the end result of her entertainment risks-women,the church,etc.-but you cannot deny she took them. I watch how elvis,MJ,and so many others are given props for their groundbreaking work-have to wonder if it’s related to,oh,i don’t know,her being a woman? I digress…this is about MJ,sorry. But forums have discussed her in the wake of this.]
as so often happens after someone dies,he will now be fully realized for his brilliance,innovation and the strides he made in the socio-cultural fabric of the USA/world.
Oh,and with both of them,one has to remember that they broke ground before it was the norm [and in fact created the stage for it to become the norm] So,the work they did may not seem like much now,but it was absolutely cutting edge at the time.
I did see that CNN JoeJackson interview, it was appauling. Does anyone know, are Joe and Katherine still married?
I have always loved Janet too. Why they all talk like babies is beyond me.
For the love of God can they stop giving Beyonce awards. She’s no talent. Seriously there are many talented black girls. She just doesn’t happen to be one. (had a hard time focusing on the post after that)
Piven? Didn’t he get banished?
Allie – apparently they are separated. Can’t remember who posted it on another thread – he lives in Vegas, she’s in Cali.
I agree #15 (can’t see the name, my screen is messed up). Madonna is an icon and groundbreaker as well in her own right. I was thinking the only other entertainer that is as big (or almost) as MJ is Madonna. I can’t think of another who took as many risks and just stood out from the rest as MJ and Madonna. Her true talent may be questionable, but there is no question that Madonna was a groundbreaker and phenomenal businesswoman in her heyday. And even now keeps herself relevant or at least her name on our lips with her striving-to-be-young antics.
So Jamie Foxx said Michael belonged to “them”??
OH
MY
GAWD……….
I only saw the clips of Janet, poor thing, she looked utterly heartbroken.
Jamie Foxx is a Hypocrite with a capital H !!! I will never forget how he insulted MJ on the 2001 VMA’s in his opening monologue….his sister Janet was in the audience and J.Foxx couldn’t care less, the man was vile !!!
I can remember very strongly when MJ came out to perform with Nsync he looked so vunerable….i felt so bad for him at that time.
My stomach turns when i hear that Jamie Foxx now says that MJ belongs to the black community ? I am black but i don’t look at it that way, a lot of his so called “own” people let him down when the times where rough ! MJ belonged to no one…especially not his narcist father who plugges his own record label when his son is not even buried yet ?
I hope they do a better tribute on the VMA’s or Grammy’s….maybe it was to short for BET to put on a good show ?
I am not a big fan of Chris Brown but i hope he gets the chance to honor his idol…he was one of the few performers who always credited MJ for his talents & skills when he was still alive…..
i like to say what a tragedy i think it was that someone had to kill the king of
pop micheal jackson was a true inspiration to me and i don’t think noone can feel the pain that the jacksons are feeling to all you playing hating bitches leave micheal alone if you can’t say anything nice then don’t say shit at all to the jacksons stay strong and hold on
to all you playing hating disrespectful
no good bitches you’ll need to let that man rest and have some respect for his family in time of there breavement wether you a fan or not respect his family
Chantel, if you are such a big fan of his, why can’t you even spell his name correctly? I mean, Michael is one of the most common names for males in the US, yet you can’t get that right?
Go back to English class, learn some grammar, spelling and punctuation and perhaps then your posts will be worth reading.