I had thought the gaudiest funerals were in the realm of the C&W people, they have the least amount of sense until I saw the MJ production. It seems we as the american people have the least amount of common sense of the world.

People, he was a musician (a fair one to be honest about it) NOT great. The American people have to place their priorities correctly. RICH does not mean good taste (as we could tell by the totally unneeded TV coverage.

We have had great americans die that did not have anything close to the "mess" that the MJ mess was. Can't we celebrate a persons life with respect and quiet? A president die is vastly more important than MJ passing. It is always done with good taste why does a rock star have to be way over the top?

Get a grip people put his life in-perspective of todays world.

I think it is sad that such a gifted man as Michael Jackson died a pariah. After he died it seems there was more love and acceptance directed towards him than when he was alive. I suppose one would hesitate to be overtly kind to a man who may very well have violated the innocence of children, often poor and disadvantaged children. I'm not saying it was true or not, only that he became like the man we were warned against as children...the man we knew to avoid being alone with at all costs. We avoided him and he avoided us.

I'm sorry his life was such a mess that he felt compelled to recreate an isolated version of it, and in creating his own world lived by his own very personal rules. I'm sorry he didn't find comfort in his own skin, because his skin as it was, seemed to me beautiful. He was a gifted, but estranged and perverse soul living in a cruel and perverse world.

Very sad. Rest in peace Michael.

To understand the Michael Jackson Memorial one has to understand Madigras in New Orleans and the Slave Culture that fostered it. It is a Voo Doo or Voodun Culture of sorts. Either you love it or you hate it. George W. Bush and the Neocons hated it, and that it why New Orleans was not rescued or rebuilt.

Jackson's memorial was about last youth. All of US worldwide 50 and above became sexual being to the Jackson Five's music. So that when Michael died that small part of our lives died with him.

Another thing about his appeal was that you could live Michael in your mind, as most Iowa fans do, or you could love him in your body with top tappin'arrogance like the LA crowd does.

His funeral was wierd, unless you have been to a Black down-home funeral. African Americans in their home churches let their hair down before the Lord and thereby have used Sunday mornings or Sunday noon as a resbit from the outside world.

Because Segreation is still here with US and will be for some time know how we view life and death will always be a matter based on the defato called Race.

I thank the author for writing this article as it means I was not the only one who was disappointed by the "spectacle". At least to large extent. I was not expecting a huge party, but the event was damped by many factors and let me explain why.

I won the tickets fairly by entering only once in the lottery. I was hugely amazed to win it. It would have been bad karma not to go, and as I live in San Francisco, I drove there fast.

The Dodger's Stadium went pretty smoothly, if you knew you had to have the bar coded "ticket" with you. I didn't, because I had not used Ticket Master before and it was not clear in the instructions. However, after some hassle in the close-by library, I got it printed. To my surprise, at the gates they did not even check my id, so anybody could have used my ticket which was something the promoters advertised strictly against.

Next morning at the Staples Center the crowd was quiet. I even thought there were more police than fans. What made it an event was the amount of media there. If there would not have been media and police, nobody would have known that something is about to happen. And I mean, way too many police. It was like walking into a police station. Everything else strictly prohibited but to walk. If you would be standing somewhere, the police would start staring at you in a weird way. The bunch of fans that were out of the strictly barricaded area were just standing there. No yelling, no cry, little laughter. Downtown LA felt pretty dead to me.

I remember thinking that Woodstock was a thriller because it was not controlled. I don't mean downtown LA would have to be like Woodstock, but come on, let the people in there and meet each other, talk to each other. Not just watch it on TV. It would have saved LA many dollars as well. Keep it on control but don't over do it.

Inside the Staples Center people were just sitting. No talking. Like in a church. I had entered a funeral ceremony. It was so dark that I could hard see who was sitting in the same bench with me. Some looked rather bored. There were empty seats. Is this the spectacle that the King of Pop deserves? I wish he would have gotten a better Goodbye. Maybe there is a Part II.

Why did they have to do it so fast after the death? Why not think about it, have a good funeral and then a tribute everybody will remember for the rest of their lives. In a few days, of course, you cannot expect to come up with a great show or kick-ass memorial. It would have taken weeks, I think.

In general it should have been more optimistic. For God's sake, if nothing else, turn the volume on and play Thriller so that the roof flies off and Michael can here it from up there. Nope, everything had to be black, sorrow, sadness, and talk. Talk I heard. Only Brooke Shields was right on target. I did not however stay the whole time because it came too depressing and had to live after about one hour of the misery. Now, I do not want to sound disrespectful, but come on, give the guy a decent tribute, do a show that shows how much he loved music, performance, and fantasy. Do a Peter Pan story and Neverland. He was the King of Pop, the music lives forever, but I would have wanted to have him to have his "last word". Now there was just mostly talks that were unsurprising and "Hallelujahs". The jokes that were cracked were pretty funny, but then again, quite expected and meant to give at least some "light" in sorrow. All those words would have been told better my performances.

I think this event was for the family and persons who were close to him. Why organize such an event to others? At Staples Center, good for sports but not much else? It seemed like a publicity stunt more than a good memorial and tribute. I am sad that I have to say these things, but after reading and hearing so many "appraisals" for the event from people and media, I can't help but to tell me opinion.

I hope Michael would have approved this. I have a bad feeling that he would have wanted it to be bigger, better, a show like spectacle that would have kicked ass for the final time. Because his music and innovations kicked ass.

"THIS IS IT."