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I've been stunned by the genuine outpouring of affection after MJ's death, around the world. It's a little tricky to separate the real grief from the hyperbole, but not impossible I think. (Anything that touches on his mother's sphere of influence is poignant; anything to do with the father's is not.) In the end Jackson was truly a uniter, not a divider. And a 100% American eccentric, warts and all.
The most touching peripheral event today here in L.A. was the pre-dawn march of the Ringling Bros/B&B elephants across downtown to the Staples Center (horses too). Tomorrow the circus opens at the Center, and wouldn't Jackson have been delighted; the animals were all stationed backstage during the memorial. Not sure how much that got covered elsewhere, but what a wonderful grace note to the day - something that would have tickled Michael pink (if he hadn't done so himself).
