MTV’s Jackson Marathon

MTV today looks like the MTV of 1983. It’s the Michael Jackson music channel.

The original cable channel for music, which grew successful in part as a result of Mr. Jackson’s groundbreaking videos, reprised its early days by showing the singer’s biggest hits beginning Thursday evening.

MTV says the marathon will continue through 8 p.m. Eastern on Friday. The channel is showing Mr. Jackson’s music videos, news updates and a highlight reel of the performer’s career. It is showing statements from artists and fans on the bottom of the screen. An updated news special will be shown at 6 p.m.

BET, which like MTV is operated by Viacom, is also showing special coverage of Mr. Jackson’s death today. The program, called “Don’t Stop Til’ You Get Enough,” is playing all day on the channel.

MTV Hits, MTV Jams and VH1 Classic, three digital off-shoots, will be wall-to-wall with Mr. Jackson’s videos all weekend.

“This is arguably one of the most seminal artists in MTV’s history and in modern pop music culture,” said Van Toffler, the president of the MTV Networks music group.

MTV started showing Mr. Jackson’s videos when reports indicated that he had been hospitalized. A news special was shown during the 9 p.m. hour. After a brief break, the channel restarted the music video marathon late Thursday, Mr. Toffler said.

Mr. Jackson helped to put MTV on the map in the early 1980s. “Michael undoubtedly moved the art form of the video from what were maybe mini-commercials to mini-movies,” Mr. Toffler said.

When the 13-minute “Thriller” music video premiered on MTV on Dec. 2, 1983, viewers had never seen anything like it.

“I’m not sure we’ve seen anything like it since,” Mr. Toffler added. “From the storytelling to the horror piece of it to the costumes to the choreography, it was a great 13-minute movie.”

In 1999, TV Guide and MTV designated “Thriller” as the greatest music video of all time.

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Anyone who saw MTV’s coverage last night would have been disgusted. They were way behind the ball and broadcasted a show about a pregnant teenager at about 8:00, long after it was widely know that MJ had died. MTV really dropped the ball on this one, and showing a Michael Jackson marathon after utterly failing on reporting his death only demonstrates the MTV’s inability to retain any meaningful place in the music business.

You mean, MTV’s broadcasting actual music, for once? It took a death to make them do this? Never mind, they’ll go back to cultural irrelevancy as of 8 p.m. tonight.

I watched MTV for the first time in…hmm…15 years or so yesterday. It was good, too.

Until they stopped playing music and put an episode of 16 and Pregnant on.

My God. May my TV never be polluted with MTV ever again.

Music, on MTV, oh wait, is that what the M stands for, I thought it was for Mediocre TV

Now’s probably not the time to be questioning MTV’s credibility or musical taste, but in the early 90s they did a “100 Greatest Videos” special that put Thriller at 3 or 4. Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” was #1.

I feel sad for his children. And for all the people who were going to make a living for the next few months working on his London concert dates – the roadies, technicians, performers, etc.

From Buddy Holly to Stevie Ray Vaughan to Selena, too often a famous musician dies too young just as they’re on the verge of a new era in their careers.

Unlike Cass Elliott and Josephine Baker, Michael Jackson never got his big, final London concert to show the world what they would be missing.

Scream! I can’t believe Michael’s gone.

Despite all of the gossip and the allegations, we should have never judged you. We should have started with the Man in the Mirror. You said, “Leave Me Alone.” Your critics and detractors can just Beat It now.

It didn’t matter if you were Black or White. You could be a nerd, a jock, a hipster, or the toughest hardest thug out there, but when an MJ track came on, even the most reticent of wallflowers would get down and dance. You said Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough, and we didn’t. The scene would be Off the Wall. The aftermath was Blood on the Dance Floor.

We knew you were Dangerous and a Smooth Criminal too. And we loved you for it. We knew you were Bad. And by Bad (which was the first CD I ever owned), I mean you were awesome and utterly ruled as the King of Pop. The King is dead. Long live the King. (We loved how you got down with the other King’s daughter too.)

Even if we couldn’t Heal The World, your music formed the soundtrack to HIStory.

You were a Dancing Machine. Your life was a real Thriller. Thanks for the music and thanks for being you. You, like Ryan White, are Gone Too Soon. We’ll always Remember The Time we spent with you. You Are Not Alone now. (What ever happened to Bubbles?) You’ve left Neverland, but we know you’re moonwalking with other heroes up in heaven now.

I’m dealing with your passing by revisiting your old songs. There is that special something about them and The Way You Make Me Feel. You Rock My World. I hope to Rock With You again someday.

So let’s Burn This Disco Out.

“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.”

I hope MJ knows he was loved.

Also, MJ changed MTV. His video for Billie Jean was the first video by a black artist that MTV played in heavy rotation.

Does anyone have a video of Michael doing his rehersal for his last tour in london of which would have been June 23rd or 24th. He is narating a message as the song is played and there is a bannner with the words in it that is what he is saying. It was broadcast on fox40 news station (KTXL) in Sacramento California. If anyone can get that please e-mail it to me at youngbiz@gvni.com

Beth