I grew up in a time before gossip blogs blurred the line between the sensational and informational. Because of the history of the written word, people are conditioned to see something in print as having more credibility than, say a talk show or radio show. News shows and publications need experts, statistics, sources, while a blog need only say that they got their information from a “credible source” before the information is spread far and wide.

Especially if the news is about perennial click-draw and rapper girlfriend Amber Rose.

When her graphic photos were leaked on the Internet last week, spellcheck-phobic gossip site Mediatakeout.com attached a story from a so-called credible insider about how Amber had sent the pictures to rumored boyfriend of Nicki Minaj, Safaree Samuels, on the night of her birthday party. How awful! The skank! Once a ho, always a ho and so forth.

While the pictures of Rose were authentic, the story turned out to be pure fabrication. Nicki Minaj even send out a tweet in defense of her friend.

If this were a newspaper, a retraction would have been printed, but Media Take Out is not journalism. We’re talking about a site that is known for pushing the boundaries of good taste, grammar, relevance, and above all, truth.

I know all of this, and I have a context for it. I also know that tabloids news is much older than the Internet. What troubles me is the generation of web-surfing teens and pre-teens that are growing up after me, ones that don’t know the difference between news and gossip, the difference between sources and hear-say. The fact that Huffington Post links to the site further blurs the line.

Regardless of how you feel about celebutantes like Rose, no one deserves to be lied about. The truth is all we have, and that’s what real journalism is about. We also need to be critical of a media culture that thrives on judging those who are deemed less worthy of legitimate celebrity. The people that comment on gossip sites, asking why someone is news-worthy are asking an important, albeit, miss-worded question. The question should be: Why is this person the chosen target for our collective judgement and ridicule this week? Readers: What do you think?

If you want to know more about my thoughts on blogs and media/celebrity culture, check out one of my older posts: The Attention Economy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS3ikrTJTqk

UPDATE: New video link.

Erykah Badu’s mystery is not just for the menfolk.I am intrigued by her as well. And like many straight men, I am intrigued with her body’s “new developments.” I think that she gives me hope that a donk is waiting for me on the other side of 30, but I digress.

I talked to my partner about this, saying that the video, combined with her recent spandex-ed performances was evidence of a new Badu, one who had traded in dashkis and head-wraps for leggings and Rick James wigs. I’m all for artistic evolution, but I also wondered if Badu was spraying patchouli on sex, selling it and calling it art.  My beloved, always insightful, pointed out that when people get older, they have fewer hang-ups. The things that we are uptight about when we are younger cease to matter as much when we get older. In truth, it is one of the things that I look most forward to about getting older (in addition to having more pocket-meat to work with).

Michael Jackson passed today. Upon reflecting on why his passing is so painful, I realized a few things:

We saw him grow up. Michael was young, gifted and Black. Instantly likable and boyish, with an ability to conjure a grown soulfulness in his singing that made you certain that he had been on this earth before (see “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Got to Be There” for two of my favorite examples). We saw him grow into an awkward teen, struggling with his self-image and trying to define his identity outside of his family. Then, he was his own man: Visible striking, trend setting, exciting and wildly successful. His tumble into middle age became a downright mid-life crisis. He never duplicated the success of his youth, and failed relationships and disturbing behavior made even his biggest fans question him. He left us an elderly man, but not elderly enough. His health was poor, and his spirit was broken.

It represents our deepest fears about success. He was great, and then he was the best. Then he reached a level of fame that was unparalleled. He hit a career plateau (Thriller) and never reached that level of success again. What happens on the other side of the zenith? When you become the best that you can be, what comes next? The fear of what is on the other side is enough to keep most people from striving in the first place.

We know he wasn’t at peace when he passed. Reporters speculate that he was feverishly preparing himself for his comeback tour. Michael wanted our love and approval so badly that he may have killed himself trying to get it.

He represents the last of an era of true entertainers. Michael was a singer, dancer, style icon and one of the most exciting entertainers who ever lived. He was a skilled musician and vocalist who was able to not only go with the fickle tide of pop music, he guided it. Michael came from an era where you had to be the best to get a shot. Many (forget that, MOST) people who dominate the current pop music scene wouldn’t have lasted 5 seconds at the Apollo during the heyday of the Jackson 5.

His legacy won’t just be about the music. I choose not to delve into the darker side of Michael’s final years, but that puts me in the minority. The media loves a freak show, and they promoted his eccentricities more than his talent.

Thank you for your music, Michael, and for loving us enough to be your very best.

Take care, withhold judgment, love others and love yourself.

Never Can Say Goodbye (LIVE)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=snihdG1rE0Y

I Want You Back (LIVE)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfJu_Bom2sA

I Wanna Be Where You Are (LIVE)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaLu6lHHSXg

Peace.

People who have seen my facebook page or my last.fm profile know that I have been rocking the hell out of some Sam Sparro. The album is nuts, and you need to check it out.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f9qsJZbV8A